The Phantom Wing
by PleasantDoom
Summary: Danny and Sam have been spit out of a natural ghost portal, and something has gone horribly wrong. Meanwhile, Hiccup and the Dragon Riders are headed out to explore, when their plans are interrupted by the discovery of a new dragon. Will Danny and Sam find a way home? What will Hiccup learn about his own world? What on Earth is Sam supposed to eat while she's stuck with vikings?
1. Chapter 1

The morning was clear and calm. A light breeze played through the tops of the evergreen trees and birds chittered at each other over the sound of waves crashing against the rocky shore nearby. Other small creatures scurried to and fro, nibbling at the late summer vegetation. This forested island was a safe haven for many of the animals. The only large predators that hunted there rarely stayed long before flying off for easier hunting grounds. Had any humans lived on the island, they would have noted the sound of the native creatures becoming eerily still. They would have wondered at the sudden chill in the air, the tense energy that seemed to flood the area; their eyes drawn upward as the very sky itself seemed to rip open and spit out a dark blur that screamed and roared toward the earth.

A monstrous sound erupted, obliterating the last remnants of peace as the shape crashed into the ground, uprooting a line of trees that had withstood centuries of storms, leaving a deep trench in its wake. Eventually, the laws of physics dragged its progression to a halt. The deafening silence that followed was as sudden as the cacophony that had come before. Gradually, the wildlife resumed its own commotion, though far more cautiously than it had started that morning. Above the island, the tear in the sky slowly sealed itself shut and winked out of existence as though it had never been there at all.

* * *

In the trench, several minutes passed before a second, much smaller shape detached, falling away from the first with a yelp and a pained grunt. Thin legs and arms uncurled from the young, female form. Slowly she sat up from her new location on the forest floor. Her hand raised to her aching head as she glared at her surroundings through violet eyes. She took in the shady woodland and the sunlight streaming through the line torn through the canopy. She breathed in the scent of clean air perfumed with damp earth, pine needles, and the salty tang of sea water. Wherever she was, it was clearly far from her landlocked home. With that realization, her eyes shot open and she scrambled to her feet.

"Danny!" the girl, Sam Manson, cried. She hastily brushed her jet-black hair out of her eyes to get a better look around. A rumbling noise behind her made her jump and spin to see what had caused it. The shape she had fallen off of just moments before shifted and turned. Sam's heart beat wildly with fear as she watched dark scales glitter and twist. Her feet shuffled backward as instinct begged her to flee, but a twisted fascination captivated her, enticing her to stay. Her slow retreat was suddenly halted as she stumbled over a fallen branch with a strangled shriek.

The sudden sound had caught the attention of the massive shape. It moved swiftly…if only to find itself flailing in a tangle of black limbs and wings before stumbling back into the trench it from which it had nearly emerged. It let out its own strange yip in alarm. This was not the reaction Sam had expected. She had expected a monstrous beast to spring out, spewing fire and overflowing with rage. She sat there in the dirt for a second, stunned. Slowly, she climbed to her feet once again and absently brushed the dust off her dark plaid skirt and black tank top as she stared at the massive creature.

The beast was growling, but it seemed to be a more frustrated sound than an angry one. Now that she could see it a little better, she noticed that, although huge, the creature wasn't quite as gigantic as she had first thought or expected. It was, however, a dragon. Two leathery wings hung at odd angles, as though the dragon wasn't fully aware of them. Black scales covered the majority of its body speckled with bits of white near the spine and along the underbelly. She watched as the reptile shook its large, spade-shaped head perched atop its long, muscular neck. Slowly, the dragon turned its short muzzle and large blue eyes toward her.

The dragon's wing-like ears perked up and it squawked before shutting its mouth rapidly. Its scaly face contorted into a look of concern and confusion. When its mouth opened again and released a small roar, the expression changed to one of fear. As Sam looked on, realization began to dawn. Her eyes widened.

"Danny…?" she asked breathlessly. The dragon tried to vocalize a response, but it just came out as another roar. In frustration, it nodded instead.

Understanding washed over Sam's face. This dragon was indeed her friend Danny. The girl looked to his neck and she scrambled forward to the dragon, searching him over.

"Danny, where's the amulet?" Sam shoved anxiously at his wing, trying to look at his limbs to see if the amulet had somehow ended up in an unexpected location. The dragon, Danny, blinked at her and began to reach toward himself with one overly-large front paw. The wing Sam had pushed at flexed involuntarily and bumped into her. Danny cringed and froze as he watched the girl fight to keep on her feet. His scaly brow then knit together in concentration as he resumed the motion, being careful to only move the one limb.

Sam watched as the dragon's claws sank intangibly into his own chest as though trying to find something. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized what this meant.

"You hid it inside yourself?!" she cried in disbelief, "of all the bone-headed…! Danny, why would you try something like that? You don't even know what it could do to you!" She kicked at his ribs to drive home the point, but he didn't seem to even notice. He had frozen again and looked at his chest, his claws still deeply imbedded. His features twisted into fear as his unseeable searching resumed far more frantically than it had begun. Only another second passed before Danny withdrew his claws and looked at Sam with terror in his eyes.

A jumble of yips and whimpers fell from the dragon's mouth in an attempt to express his panic. His now freed claw gestured wildly with his wordless noises. His attempts at communication soon died down into labored breathing and his eyes seemed to glaze over.

The girl rushed forward again and put her hands on his shoulder.

"Calm down, Danny," she said with a tone she hoped was soothing, "breathe. You're going to hyperventilate. We'll figure out how to get it out of you, and then we'll go home." Sam rubbed his shoulder firmly, not even certain if he could feel the gesture through his scales.

The dragon took a deep breath, trying to get air into his lungs and slow his rapid pulse. Sam was right. He closed his eyes in focus as his chest expanded and contracted. With another deep breath, he carefully lowered himself back to the ground, laying his head on the overturned soil. They would figure this out. They had to.

* * *

Miles away, high in the sky, a mismatched troupe of dragons with near equally mismatched riders flew through the air. In the lead was a velvety black dragon with stocky limbs and wings that seemed to dwarf its own body. Its short, thick neck led to a flat head with a short, rounded snout and intelligent, forward-facing green eyes. Short, stubby ridges trailed along the spine of its elongated body all the way to the end of the long, sturdy tail. A red, prosthetic fin flicked open at the tip of the tail, mirroring the actions of the natural fin that splayed out on the other side. It was a beast built for speed and stealth.

A young man was perched on a saddle atop the dragon, situated just in front of its wings. He was no longer a child, but not yet an adult. His tall, lanky form leaned forward to reduce the drag of the wind which pulled at his shaggy auburn hair. His green eyes scanned the horizon ahead for potential threats or previously overlooked land. This was not their first time in the area, but there was always the likelihood that the group might have missed something.

"Hiccup," called a feminine voice from somewhere behind him. "I think I saw something!" The young man on the black dragon looked over his left shoulder to the young woman seated on another dragon. Her pale, blonde braid whipped out behind her wiry frame. Her serious blue eyes looked out over the ocean toward where she pointed to her left.

The dragon she rode was almost bird-like in its shape with only two legs and its wings. Her saddle sat back behind its turquoise wings, safe from the peril of the numerous horns that crowned the back of the creature's large, round head. Yellow eyes pointed outward behind a snout that was almost like a beak which was topped with a large horn that swept back. The beast's spike-covered tail swung stiffly to correct its balance. The dragon's rider automatically shifted her own weight to maintain her position on the saddle.

The leader of the group, Hiccup, motioned for the rest to slow down as he looked where the other dragon rider was pointing.

"You mean by Forsaken Island?" he asked, his tenor voice ringing out as he squinted at the small bit of land in the distance, "are you sure, Astrid?" They had landed there before and found it lacking in signs of dragon or human life. The young woman nodded in confirmation.

"Pretty sure," she replied, turning her eyes to Hiccup. "I think we should check it out, just to be on the safe side."

The young man contemplated the situation a moment and looked back at the rest of the group. A detour would delay their day's exploration. However, they hadn't been very far in this direction and might not find anything. Hiccup frowned in thought. If they continued onward, they would be able to get further. But then…if Astrid was right…

"Well," he drawled out as he solidified his decision, "it might be worth it to take a look." With that, his dragon's tail flicked out behind them, steering them toward the island with the rest of the troupe following close behind.

* * *

 **Author's note:**

Thanks for reading the first chapter! I won't be doing many AN's because I'm a bum like that. Personally, I like to dive right into a story when I'm reading, so if I do need to leave a note, it will always be at the end of the chapter. Enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

To say Danny was frustrated would be an understatement. He felt like an infant having to learn how to move his limbs all over again. It didn't make sense to him. He'd never had any trouble controlling appendages when he overshadowed, regardless of whether the being he occupied was human or animal. Sam had been turned into a dragon once, and she hadn't appeared to have any trouble adjusting. Granted, her transformation had been more like being possessed by another cursed amulet, but still. He couldn't help the low growl that rumbled in his throat as he slowly untangled himself. Again.

"You know," said Sam, "you're probably overthinking the whole thing." She leaned against one of the still standing pines, well out of reach of Danny's draconic form. She knew he would berate himself if he accidentally hurt her, and if she were honest, she'd rather not get injured, either. Her arms crossed as Danny finally pulled himself back onto all four feet. Her mouth twisted into a smirk as an idea formed in her mind.

"Danny, hold still a minute. I want to see something." She purposefully walked toward his side. Danny's blue eyes followed her in confusion and concern. The expression she wore on her face was very familiar and usually meant trouble. He hummed a note of question and tilted his head. Sam rolled her eyes in response.

"I'm just curious." Her small hands reached out and took hold of the edge of his leathery wing. The dragon's face twisted in shock as he fought down the urge to pull back. She watched as his eyes flicked back and forth between her hands and her face. After another moment she released his wing and he visibly relaxed.

To Danny, it was one of the most bizarre sensations he had ever felt. It seemed like a strange combination between having his back poked and having her grab an extra hand he didn't know he had. He was all too familiar with the second sensation, considering how many times he'd failed horribly at duplicating himself in the past. The touch on his wing hadn't been entirely unpleasant, but it was still disconcerting and beyond strange. He heaved a sigh and looked back at his surroundings, thinking her experiment was done. Suddenly, another, more alarming sensation had him scrambling away mindlessly with a frenzied roar.

At the sound of Sam's laughter, he turned and glared at her. She had grabbed his tail! He felt his face heat up and hoped his scales were hiding his blush. The girl, however, was sitting on the ground in hysterics. Whether he had accidentally knocked her over or she had fallen on her own, he didn't know. He didn't exactly care, either. With an indignant huff, Danny pulled his tail closer to himself to protect it from her. The action caused Sam to laugh even harder and topple over.

Several minutes passed in which Danny sulked and Sam fought to contain herself. Eventually her laughter died away and she caught her breath.

"Sorry," she said, coughing out a final laugh with a smile, "but I thought if something got you moving without thinking…" Her words fell away with a shrug. Danny, still indignant, merely huffed at her in response before turning away, his head lowered and wings raised in clear irritation. Sam's smile transformed into a smirk as she raised an eyebrow.

"It worked, though," she pointed out. Danny snorted grumpily and shrugged his wings higher. She might have been right, but he didn't have to like it.

"See?" she started, "you went pretty far without even…" She broke off as Danny's reptilian head suddenly whipped around to peer into the forest. His fin-shaped ears seemed to open further and point forward as he strained to listen to something only he could hear. Sam knew better than to doubt Danny's senses. She had gotten herself into trouble that way in the past. Her own violet eyes followed to where he was looking as she slowly crept closer to his side. The dragon began to growl, unknowing if the sounds he heard came from friend or foe.

Within the forest, just out of their sight, a murmuring voice could be heard. The words were indistinct, but the tone seemed male. Another sound replied, similar to the noises Danny was reduced to using. Sam's slow progression toward her dragon companion turned into a scurry. Danny crept forward, positioning his reptilian body protectively in front of the girl. His growling grew more pronounced, warning who or whatever was approaching. Tension filled the air as seconds seemed to stretch into years as blue and violet eyes watched the woods, waiting for something unknown.

* * *

As Hiccup and his crew approached the island, they peered down at the forest in shock. Something had violently plowed a gaping furrow halfway through the trees, leaving nothing but destruction and overturned soil in its wake. He shook his head in disbelief and signaled for the riders to land near the rocky shore.

"Astrid," he said as he climbed off his dragon, "looks like you were right. Something came here. Probably something big." The woman he spoke to followed suite and walked over to him, her dragon following close behind.

"Definitely big," she agreed, "and probably angry, judging by what we saw from the air." A scowl crossed her face as she remembered the destruction they saw sliced through the forest.

"Angry or hurt. Either way, this could be dangerous." Hiccup frowned as he watched the others dismount, all dressed in rough armor made from leather and bits of metal. One was very large man with short legs and would have been threatening, if not for his round, boyish face. A helmet with a pair of small, metal dragon wings sat atop his messy straw-like hair. He looked at their leader worriedly as he led his dragon forward. The creature was yellowish-brown and looked more like several round boulders had been mashed together in the rough shape of something living, with seemingly random wart-like protrusions scattered all over its body.

"I think hurt is more likely," the approaching man said, his nearly alto voice a stark contrast to his size, "that pattern of destruction looks more like something got thrown into the island. I think there might have been a dragon fight." He wrung his hands nervously. Wild dragons were unpredictable enough. Unknown and _injured_ dragons? He shuddered at the risk they could be taking.

"I don't think there was a fight," Astrid responded with a frown. She absently reached over and laid a hand on her dragon's side. "What I saw was too quick, and I'm pretty sure the victorious dragon would have made some sort of victory show."

"What's this about a fight?" called a fourth person, a very muscled man with jaw-length brown hair. His blue eyes sparkled with anticipation as he sauntered over. He was nearly a full head shorter than Hiccup, but he held himself proudly. His thick eyebrows raised to nearly vanish into the helmet, with its curled pair of rams horns, that sat on his head. Two other people, the final members of the group, jogged up behind him.

"Is there going to be a fight?" asked one, a tall and lanky man with blond dreadlocks asked happily. He also wore a helmet, but his had far too many horns and seemed to sit just slightly off kilter.

"There's going to be a fight? Sweet!" the other, a nearly identical and very androgynous woman, added eagerly. Her own helmet, also with too many horns, pinned down her overly thick blond braids. Her voice was raspy with years of enthusiastic yelling at one thing or another. She and the man who was clearly her twin both held wild eagerness. They loved trouble—particularly the variety they could create.

"There's no fight," Hiccup started, but was quickly interrupted.

"Who are we fighting?" asked the short man.

"I think it's more, ' _what_ are we fighting," responded the male blond twin, as though it was clear logic.

"Guys…"

"Maybe we're fighting a boar for the pit!"

"We don't need another boar for your stupid boar pit."

"Guys."

"Yeah, we do. We totally do. Chicken would agree with me."

"Gotta keep up the boar pit!"

"Yeah, but-!"

" _Guys!"_ Hiccup finally succeeded in breaking up the conversation.

"We're not looking for boars! We're not looking for fights! There's a dragon somewhere nearby, and it's probably hurt," the leader explained. He scowled at the three in frustration.

"Fishlegs," he motioned toward the large blond fellow, "thinks something threw it from the sky." They trio who had joined in late frowned. The only thing that could throw a dragon that hard, as far as they knew, was an even bigger dragon. That could only mean the "not entertaining" variety of trouble. If the group was going to know what threat was nearby, they needed to find this creature, and quickly.

"We know there's not a whole lot on this island for a dragon to eat, so we'll probably have to call off today's plans and lead it back to dragon's edge," Hiccup continued sternly, "if you find it first, try offering it food, but be careful. We'll restock our supplies when we get back."

"Snotlout," he directed to the shorter man, "I want you and Hookfang to take the sky and see if you can spot it from above." Snotlout nodded firmly and jogged away toward his wiry red and black dragon, a creature that seemed to have far too many teeth and stalked toward its rider using its wings as front legs. The man clambered into the saddle strapped just behind the dragon's head, grabbed onto two of its four long, spindly horns, and they took off into the air.

"Fishlegs, I want you and Meatlug to patrol the North Side of the island. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you take Barf and Belch and patrol the South." The larger man, hopped onto the nearby boulder-ish dragon and took off, while the twins ran over to where their own, green, two-headed dragon seemed to be arguing with itself.

"Astrid, I'm going to take Toothless and go into the forest where that trail ended and see what we find. I want you and Stormfly to go to where it started and follow it in, in case it wandered back that way."

The blond woman nodded, her brows drawn together, but then hesitated.

"Hiccup," she paused uncertainly, "be careful."

"You know me, I'm always careful," he said with a small laugh. It was a terrible joke, and they both knew it. Astrid smirked a little and shoved his shoulder before climbing onto her dragon and flying away.

"Okay, bud," Hiccup addressed his own reptilian companion, "time for us to go make friends." The creature, Toothless, tilted his head and hummed in curiosity. The tall human was about to reply when the two heard the frenzied roar of a dragon ringing out through the trees. As quick as a flash, Hiccup jumped into the saddle on the black creature's back, and together they raced through the woods.

As they got closer to the source of the sound, they slowed and Hiccup climbed off again. They walked slowly and carefully, trying to listen for the injured beast. However, it wasn't the cry of a dragon they heard, but…laughter? The pair paused and looked at each other. It was clearly human laughter. Female. But it definitely wasn't Astrid or Ruffnut. The voice was far too high and clear. As the laughter died down, Hiccup and Toothless crept forward again. Whoever she was, she began talking, seemingly having a one-sided conversation. It was then that Hiccup stepped on a twig and the voice suddenly stopped.

"Oops…" The young man looked at his dragon, who snorted and seemed to scowl back.

"You know that was an accident!" he murmured. Toothless hummed a grumpy note and started to move forward.

"No, wait! Slow down!" he grabbed for the dragon's neck, but they both froze when they heard the growling. It was deep and menacing. Hiccup swallowed hard and looked at Toothless. The girl they'd heard...What if she was in danger? If the injured dragon found her…! Hiccup quickly jumped back onto Toothless' saddle and together they burst through the trees and into the clearing.

* * *

AN: Thanks for the reviews and follows and favorites, everyone!

So, this second chapter was a little delayed. I was hoping to post it quickly after the first, but my personal editor was being...well...a bum. I'm glad there was so much demand for it, though.

There was one comment in particular asking if Danny's dragon form looks like Dora and Aragon from the series and my answer is...sort of, but kind of different. Because reasons. I'll explain why he looks different in a later chapter, but it _will_ be explained. ...I suppose I should probably make an image of him for those who would like a visual to help them along. I mean...you already have visual reference available for all the other characters, so why not?

Anyway, thanks again, and I hope you all stick around for the next thrilling installment!


	3. Chapter 3

A vicious snarl ripped through the air as the new dragon appeared before Danny. Both flared their wings and bared their teeth in attempt to look larger and more threatening. They stared at each other, sizing one another up. Danny was larger, but inexperienced with his new dragon shape. The other seemed hesitant, recognizing the size and potential strength of his opponent. Neither seemed to take notice of the human companions.

The humans, however, were stunned by the scene they had just become part of before noticing each other. Sam stared wide-eyed in panic at the man atop the other dragon. Was he going to try capturing Danny and forcing him into servitude? Her face paled at the thought.

As Sam gawped with fear plain on her face, Hiccup's eyes darted back and forth between the creature before him and the girl that had started creeping closer to it. His eyebrows shot up and his green eyes widened with realization.

"Toothless! Back off!" he cried. Toothless replied by snorting defiantly.

"Toothless…" Hiccup dragged out his dragon's name in warning. With a growl of irritation his dragon folded his wings and took a step back. The other dragon seemed confused, but only dropped his wings a little. Slowly and cautiously, Hiccup dismounted, still watching the creature for sudden movements.

It took a moment for Danny to even realize what had happened. He hadn't even been fully aware of the other human until the other dragon begrudgingly stood down. It was like a portion of his reasoning had shut off with the perceived threat. It was unnerving to say the least. Now that he could think a little more clearly, though, he could feel Sam's hand, chilled from fright, pressed up against his shoulder. His blue eyes, however, were locked on the man and narrowed in icy calculation.

"Are you okay over there?" came the man's voice as his eyes flicked over to the girl and back to the beast beside her.

"That depends on what you want with us," she replied, trying to force her face into a scowl. The dragon beside her took a quick glance at her and hummed a note of concern. She patted his shoulder in silent communication and he went back to glaring and growling his own wordless threat at the man. He was used to supplying his own "witty" banter. Having to depend on someone else to demand answers and be annoying for him was highly unsatisfying.

"Nothing! Nothing!" answered Hiccup, his hands raised in a placating gesture, "but we're looking for an injured dragon that we think fell near here. Carved a big old path through the forest. We want to find it before it hurts itself worse. Have you come across it? Any sign of it, maybe?" The larger black dragon and the girl both blinked in surprise. The creature's wings, once raised in threat, flopped down as if he'd forgotten they existed and nearly hit his companion.

Toothless had been watching the scene sourly until that moment. His own head tilted in confusion at the other reptile's bizarre reaction. He hummed a note of question and looked at his rider. Hiccup's brows furrowed together. No dragon he'd ever encountered would make such a motion. He glanced over at Toothless, then back at the strange creature, who was now uttering a series of hums and growls at the girl. The girl rolled her eyes and then gently kicked his ribs to shut him up. Which he did, with the most human scowl Hiccup had ever seen on a reptilian face.

"Is…is your dragon okay…?" the man asked uncertainly as he took a slow step forward.

"He's fine, except the brain damage." The girl glared at her dragon, which huffed and rolled his eyes in annoyance. The beast then looked as if he were concentrating and slowly folded his wings into a more natural resting position. Hiccup frowned. He felt as though he'd been frowning a lot that day.

"Riiiight…" The man looked at Toothless, who looked back and did a sort of approximation of a shrug, something he'd seen his human do many times. "Well…we really should find that dragon. You might want to pack up your camp and head off the island, just in case."

"Island?!" Yelped the girl, who promptly clapped her hands over her mouth. Her dragon had let out a roar of alarm and tried to echo her action, only to topple over with a strangled yelp. Danny had forgotten that staying on all fours was actually necessary. Hiccup and Toothless both stared at them, dumbfounded.

"Yeah…" Hiccup started, uncertainly, "…Island…You would have had to fly quite a ways to get…" Understanding crossed his face as his mind started working again. There was only one way they could be unaware of where they were. "You! You and your dragon fell here!" he exclaimed, "but how did you get thrown this far? How are y—How did you survive _that?!_ " He gestured wildly in the general direction he knew the ditch had to be.

Toothless, other than ducking Hiccup's practically flailing arm, ignored his human's ranting. He was too busy watching the other dragon awkwardly regain his feet. He moved almost like a hatchling, uncertain of where his own limbs began and ended. How was this the same beast that showed such threat and radiated power? Toothless looked at his rider. Yes, he'd been told to back off, but he was curious. So he began to stride forward.

In a flash, Danny had positioned himself between the other dragon and Sam. His wings flared out once again and his ear-splitting roar filled the air. The smaller creature scurried back in shock. His rider had stumbled backward. He hadn't even noticed that Toothless had moved until he was scrambling away.

Danny eyed the creature furiously. It had come too close, and he still wasn't sure if it was a threat or not. If anything, he had to protect Sam, and he wasn't going to let any potential danger near her. A growl rumbled in his throat, daring the beast to try again. He could feel adrenaline and aggression begin to cloud his mind once more when a movement next to the other beast caught his attention.

The strange man in the strange clothes had begun walking forward, his body tense with nervousness and his hands slightly raised to show his empty palms. Danny's growl increased in volume, but… He shook his head and took a hesitant step back before resuming the threat. He felt almost as though he were hypnotized. He couldn't help but watch, and growl, as the man came closer, step by creeping step. Eventually he stopped, appeared to brace himself, and reached his hand toward Danny's snout.

He would never be able to explain it, no matter how many times he knew Sam would ask him later, but Danny felt compelled to press his nose into the man's hand. So he did, unable to stop himself from the action. His growling ceased as some part of him recognized this human was no threat. Hiccup's shoulders slumped in relief as he rubbed the dragon's head. Danny, suddenly coming to his senses, shook his head and pulled his neck back, away from his reach. What had come over him?

"What…was that…" asked a very stunned Sam. She had cautiously peeked around her draconic protector's shoulder to see what was going on and had witnessed the whole thing. The girl stepped around to stand next to him and looked up at his face to see his unsettled expression. He wasn't really the touchy-feely type, so what part of getting turned into a dragon had made him want direct contact from a stranger? Much less, on his _face_? It was weird. She could tell he was likely wondering the same thing, and would have bet it was freaking him out.

"Far as I can tell," Hiccup began, startling Sam out of her thoughts, "it's a dragon thing. It sort of…calms them, or something. I'm not sure exactly how or why, but it's the best way to get a dragon's trust. Not sure how your village ended up with dragons if you've never seen that before." He shook his head in disbelief. Surely another dragon-riding clan would have to have discovered the same methods. From somewhere behind him, a reptilian note of concern was voiced. It occurred to the man that it was probably time they all introduced themselves.

"By the way, my name is Hiccup," he offered, then motioned to the dragon behind him, "and this is Toothless." He watched confusion cross the girl's face. The dragon beside her snorted as though he was snickering.

"Why do you call him Toothless?"

"Toothless, smile." The smaller dragon parted his lips in a strange imitation of the facial expression his rider requested, his tongue lolling out carelessly. The inexplicably empty gums were explanation enough.

"That's actually…Pretty appropriate," she replied, "I'm Sam, and this is my, uh, dragon…Danny." Hiccup looked at her with his own confusion. Maybe they had other terms for dragon companions where she was from. He'd have to ask about that later. But he'd never heard of anyone calling themselves something so outlandish before.

"Those are…unusual names," he commented. The dragon—Danny—seemed to laugh at this. Sam rolled her eyes and proceeded to shove his shoulder. Yes, it was bizarre that someone with a name like "Hiccup" thought _their_ names were weird, but he didn't have to laugh about it.

"Hiccup!" cried a distant voice, "Hiccup, are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Astrid! Get everyone to the shore!" Hiccup yelled back. His new companions looked at each other uneasily.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to Astrid and the others," he motioned for the two to follow him. Toothless was already at his side and ready to bound into the trees once more.

"You know," Sam said nervously, "we're probably fine staying here. I'm sure there's plenty to eat. I know I saw some edible vegetation." Danny sighed. Great. He'd be eating nothing but vegetables, bark, and dirt until they found their way back. Hiccup, however, looked at her as though she were insane.

"But what will Danny eat? Half the plants here are toxic to dragons, and the game is all pretty small. You won't be able to catch enough to feed the both of you," Hiccup explained. Both Danny's and Sam's faces fell. Of course the edible plants would be toxic to dragons, and there was no way Sam could know which ones were safe for Danny. And if the only other option were meat… There was no way the girl would hunt. It was against her principles. The dragon, on the other hand, had no experience and could barely walk without tripping himself up.

"Look," continued hiccup as he ran his hands through his mop of auburn hair, "my friends and I have a base that's only a few hours' flight from here. We've got food enough and we can probably set you and your dragon up with some gear." Sam and Danny looked at each other a moment while they thought. Danny cocked his head and shrugged. It wasn't like they had many options, and really, they needed to find civilization so they could figure out how to get back home. It was either this, or hope Tucker could either convince Clockwork to bring them back, which was unlikely, or talk Frostbite into coming for them with the Infimap. Then there was the possibility that Danny could starve to death while they waited for either of those to happen. Sam frowned, having reached the same conclusion. She heaved a heavy sigh and turned to the man who had made the generous offer.

"Well…Lead the way, Hiccup. Danny, shut up." Danny choked on the laugh-like snort that had escaped his nose. After a look of concerned confusion, Hiccup turned and stepped into the trees. Perhaps Danny really had hit his head when they fell. Toothless gladly bounded ahead to lead the way.

With a deep breath, the girl and her dragon strode forward to follow, one feigning confidence, the other just desperately trying not to stumble over himself.

* * *

A/N: I'm glad you all are enjoying my story so far. For those who are anticipating the image...Huzzah! You have a preview! It's not done yet, and it's probably going to take me a while, but at least you have Danny's face...looking less than impressed at his situation. But yeah...the image I have posted here is the preview. When the image is complete it will have his whole dragon-y body. Thanks again for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

"Sooo…" began Hiccup as they walked through the forest, "what clan are you from, anyway? I didn't know there were others out there who trained dragons." It was going to be a slow walk, what with the large black dragon behind them struggling to keep up, for some reason. He didn't really want to deal with an awkward silence dragging it out. Awkward conversation was marginally better. It would still be uncomfortable, but at least the walk wouldn't seem as slow.

"Clan?" Sam puzzled, earning her another frown of concern from the man ahead of her. She heard Danny grumbling behind her. He'd probably nearly tripped again. The poor guy had always been a little bit of a klutz, but this had to be incredibly frustrating. She sighed and pretended not to notice for the sake of his already battered pride. A small yelp behind Sam forced her to correct that thought: not battered—murdered and mangled beyond recognition.

"Yeah. You know," he paused a moment, searching for other terms, "your tribe…family…group…" Hiccup trailed off, shaking his head and waving his hand vaguely. He was unable to see the expression on Sam's face as she realized what he was asking. He was a little busy ducking under a low-hanging branch.

"Oh…right," she said lightly, "we're…uh…Nomads?" Sam could practically hear Danny resisting the urge to smack his own face. It sounded lame in her own ears, but then, neither they nor their allies back home were very good at coming up with alibis or excuses on the fly. But then, they never had to be. There was always so much happening that no one ever really seemed to catch on. Hiccup, however, was completely undistracted. He turned to give her a look that clearly showed he wasn't buying it.

"You're a nomad," he repeated as he turned to look at her, bringing them to a halt. His voice was heavy with disbelief and his eyebrows hung low over his green eyes. As far as he was aware, there weren't any nomadic tribes in the archipelago, and beyond that…well… He shook his head. Things were definitely not adding up.

"Uh…yeah," Sam said with a nervous chuckle, "you know…travelling here and there..." Danny chose that moment to deliberately hit his head against a tree trunk. The girl spun and glared at him briefly before turning back to force a bright smile toward their human companion. She was met with the kind of expression a person gives only to those who have revealed themselves to be psychotic.

"Ooookaaay…." Hiccup was considering having Gothi, the healer, come to Dragon's edge later to make sure Sam hadn't hit her head, too. He reluctantly began to walk again. Perhaps awkward silence was better, after all.

* * *

Several uncomfortable minutes passed as the small group hiked through the forest, making their slow way between the tall trunks and over a tree that had had fallen at some point and begun to rot. Danny was having particular trouble with that and Toothless had chosen to wander close again to watch his attempt to climb over it. It had been a tense moment for the humans, but when Danny merely snorted at the other dragon with irritation, they both breathed a sigh of relief. Apparently he'd started to get used to the presence of the smaller reptile.

After that, Toothless seemed to decide it was time to start making friends. He kept much closer to the other creature and observed him with intense curiosity, nearly getting underfoot a few times.

Another few minutes passed and a nagging question escaped Hiccup's mouth.

"Your dragon…has he never met other dragons?" He glanced at Sam, who stumbled in her surprise.

"What makes you think that?" asked Sam, her violet eyes avoiding the young man ahead of her. She bit her lip and brushed her dark hair back as she tried to hurriedly think of something believable she could tell him. She was desperately hoping that he wouldn't pursue it, but she knew that it was bound to happen. The girl braced herself mentally.

"Well…" drawled Hiccup as he searched for a gentle phrasing, "he isn't… I mean… He doesn't exactly… _act_ like the dragons I know." Sam winced. He'd noticed that. Of _course_ he'd noticed that. He had his own dragon, how could he _not_ notice that? Her mind finally grasped hold of an idea.

"Actually…He's only met two," or was it technically four? That didn't particularly matter at the moment, she told herself. "It was pretty recent and they were really aggressive. He's been raised by humans his whole life." She could tell Hiccup was satisfied with that story, if somewhat concerned. Sam gave herself a mental pat on the back. Nothing was more believable than the truth, even if key details were left out.

Behind Hiccup and Sam, they could hear the dragons making noises at each other. They turned around to look, and saw the two walking. Toothless seemed to be exaggerating each step and Danny was watching him carefully. The two humans had completely opposite reactions. Hiccup's brows drew together in confusion, wondering if Toothless had also managed to hit his head. Sam, meanwhile, began to smile. She'd seen enough videos of animals interacting with babies to understand what was happening. Toothless was teaching Danny how to walk without tripping over his own feet. She shook her head in amusement and turned back around. Hiccup blinked and, still confused, began to lead the way once again.

Soon they were nearing the edge of the forest, thanks to Toothless' efforts with Danny. Boisterous human voices could be heard in the distance. Sam, who had been hoping Hiccup's group was small and serious, felt like something made of lead had just landed in her stomach. Another heavy weight added to it as she heard what sounded like more dragons. She looked back at Danny, who had stopped in his tracks and began to tense up.

"Um…Hiccup?" Sam said uneasily, then cleared her throat, "I think we're going to have some trouble…" Hiccup looked back at her, then at Danny. He nodded in understanding.

"We should probably leave him here until—" Hiccup's words were cut off as Danny snarled in objection, startling the humans. He wasn't about to let himself be separated from Sam. Not with unknown elements so close by. He had gotten them into this mess. It was his responsibility to make sure she stayed safe until he could find them a way home.

Upon hearing the snarl, Toothless had skittered back a few steps. He looked at the other dragon and voiced a scolding growl. Danny looked back at him in confusion for a moment before blinking and lowering his head with a sigh. It seemed to him that he'd just been told off by the creature. When Toothless huffed in satisfaction, his thought was confirmed.

"Danny, uh, probably doesn't want to be left behind," Sam offered, "he gets a little _overly protective_ sometimes." Danny snorted in annoyance at her snarky tone. His sister, Jazz, had one day come to the conclusion that he had some sort of hero complex, and he couldn't see why Sam and his other friend, Tucker, seemed to agree with her. He didn't have a complex, he just wanted to keep them safe.

* * *

Just outside the forest, Hiccup's companion's waited. Snotlout was lounging against his dragon, who had decided to take a nap, the twins were bickering, as usual, and Fishlegs was chattering to an increasingly anxious Astrid. The young woman would never admit it, though. She masked her worry with irritation. Hiccup should have returned by now. What was taking so long? She was certain he had found the dragon. She had heard that roar, and it was definitely not a sound Toothless made. They had all been around each other's dragons enough to recognize their noises. Perhaps this new creature was more aggressive than they anticipated. Dozens of scenarios played out in her head.

"What do you think?" Fishlegs asked her expectantly, dragging her abruptly from her thoughts.

Astrid's braid swung behind her as she turned her head to look at him in confusion. She had zoned out and had no idea what he was asking about. Her blank stare gave her away before she could come up with some sort of answer.

"What kind of dragon do you think Hiccup found?" the large man clarified, his surprisingly light voice cracking.

"It's definitely not a Thunderdrum," she began thoughtfully, "and I doubt it's anything stoker class, or the island would probably be on fire by now." Fishlegs nodded sagely in agreement.

"You know," he pointed out, "it's kind of weird that he didn't just fly back and have it follow."

"It's probably a little on the skittish side. That, or it's busted a wing," Astrid mused aloud. It would make sense of a few things, if that were true. Perhaps he had stopped to bandage it? She shook her head at that thought. He wouldn't have enough supplies to set a wing. The best he would be able to do with what he had with him was a quick sling. She looked over at her own dragon, who was preening her scales and trying to ignore the two-headed dragon that was chattering loudly at her.

Fishlegs had opened his mouth to say something else when the group heard a snarl coming from somewhere just beyond the trees. They looked between each other uncertainly. The dragons squawked in alarm and turned to look toward the forest, including the no longer sleeping Hookfang. His sudden motion sent Snotlout tumbling backward.

"Did you guys hear that?" Tuffnut asked needlessly.

"Of course we heard it!" Ruffnut replied irritably, shoving at his face.

"Guys, shut up!" demanded Astrid as she strained to listen. Hearing nothing more, she came to a decision and looked at the group behind her.

"Hiccup might be in trouble," she declared firmly as she took up her axe, "let's go." The others, with expressions ranging from worried to determined, readied their own weapons and headed into the trees. The nervous dragons were left behind, being disadvantaged in forested terrain. Their progression was far from quiet and as they got nearer to the other group, they began to hear growling and a girl's voice.

"Danny, calm down!" the voice seemed to be yelling. A second later, a sharp yelp rang out from whatever had been growling before. The group continued forward and the scene finally opened up before them. The sight stopped them in their tracks.

Hiccup was closest, his back to them. Beyond him was Toothless, looking thoroughly annoyed, and a girl who appeared to be threatening another black dragon, which appeared to have somehow toppled over and was trying to hold its own snout.

"Did you just punch him in the nose?" Hiccup asked, sounding very shocked. The unknown dragon whimpered. The girl sighed heavily and her head dropped back a little.

"It was either that or stomp on his tail. He needed to snap out of it." The dragon whimpered again and attempted to scoot backward. The girl crossed her arms and gave him a pointed look, as though to dare him.

"She punched a dragon in the nose?" Snotlout spoke up, sounding very impressed and startling Hiccup. Astrid rolled her eyes, refusing to show signs of relief as she returned her axe to its strap on her back.

The girl spun on her heels in alarm and the large dragon scrambled to get his feet underneath himself, but Toothless growled at him warningly before the larger black dragon could take a threatening stance. When they got a good look at the new arrivals, they were finally able to put answers into place. These people were Vikings. Honest to goodness Vikings. Raid, plunder, and pillage Vikings. They were definitely pretty far in the past, then. Probably somewhere off the coast of…some country or other. Norway? Iceland? Vikings were practically everywhere in their heyday. It took them a moment to realize they shouldn't be able to understand them, and just another moment longer to remember that it was probably an effect from the ghost portal they'd gone through. It had done the same thing that one time they ended up in ancient Rome, and again when they ended up in feudal Japan. One day they would have to ask Frostbite about that.

"I thought you said there wasn't going to be a fight," complained Ruffnut. Her twin nodded vehemently as they both put their own weapons away.

"He definitely said there would be no fight." The twins received the stares of the two newcomers. One processing the similarities and piecing together their relation, the other trying to figure out if Ruffnut was male or female. The dragon would have to find some way to ask his human companion later.

"What kind of dragon is that?" Fishlegs asked with enthusiastic curiosity. He rushed forward to get a closer look. His own little dagger had been replaced by a book the moment he had seen the creature. The girl and the new dragon froze and took in his appearance. The pair then looked at one another for a moment. And laughed. The large man slowed his approach in confusion. Dragons didn't actually laugh. Sure, Toothless had begun to approximate it, but it had only ever been that. This dragon was actually laughing, and it was a very odd sound.

Sam and Danny just thought it was too funny. Yes, the man had different hair and a much rounder face, but he reminded the two of them of Danny's father. They even shared the long arms and incredibly short legs. The two suspected he was almost as obsessed with dragons as Danny's father was with ghosts.

"Let's get that sorted out later," Hiccup said to his confused friend. Trying to figure those two out was beginning to give him a headache. At that moment, though, his focus needed to be on orchestrating the introduction to the other dragons. How was he supposed to do that? He'd never had to deal with a beast that had never really interacted with its own kind before!

"Okay," the auburn haired Viking announced to the others, "we have a bit of a situation. This is Sam," he gestured to the girl with short, black hair, "and her dragon, Danny." Snotlout snorted in amusement. Sam and Danny both scowled.

"What kind of names are those?" asked Tuffnut with a laugh. His twin was about to reply when Hiccup interrupted.

"Guys, not the time," Hiccup said in exasperation. "We have here a dragon that has some aggression issues—" Danny growled lowly, then choked it back at the look Toothless gave him.

"—And apparently has only ever met two dragons, aside from Toothless. Sam tells me they weren't friendly, either."

"How is that possible?" demanded Astrid with a scowl toward Sam, "there are dragons all over the archipelago. How could anyone _not_ run into them all the time?"

"An excellent question," Hiccup agreed, quickly moving to block the young woman's line of sight, "one that I'm sure we'll get answers to later. Right now we need to plan how to introduce Danny to the other dragons and not have him flip out."

Danny snorted in annoyance. He was getting irritated at being talked about as though he couldn't understand them. Part of him realized they didn't know he could, but it didn't soothe his stewing temper any. He looked at Toothless, then Sam, who looked back, completely understanding. A quiet, hummed note to the smaller dragon caught his attention. Danny turned himself toward where he could hear the other creatures, then looked back at Toothless again. He'd seen other animals use similar gestures, so it was no surprise to him when the coal black creature bounded forward to lead the way.

Sam smirked and followed after, her mind calling up a certain purple-back gorilla. It seemed he was beginning to learn dragon language, too. There were times she had to remind herself that he really was more intelligent than he believed himself to be. Together, the three quietly left the trees. Danny would meet the other dragons in his own way, on his own terms.

The Vikings didn't even notice they'd left, having gotten themselves overly focused on the discussion and planning that was quickly dissolving into an argument.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks again for the reviews and faves and follows and warm fuzzy feels, everyone! Just a heads up, the next chapter is going to take a little more time so I can try to finish the picture. I want it to be amazing for you all, and I'd like to be able to announce its completion with the next chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

As Toothless led the way out of the cover of the forest, Danny began to wonder if it was really a good idea to introduce himself to the other dragons. Yes, he was sure having the smaller, black creature would help smooth things, but he could feel his muscles beginning to tense. Not far off, he could see four other beasts and Toothless basically prancing ahead to greet them. These creatures looked nothing like he expected. He thought their appearance would be more like what he had seen before. He certainly never would have thought he would be meeting something with two heads.

Danny hesitated a moment at the sight and looked back at Sam for reassurance. His glance revealed that she was still processing the new information as well. A nervous hum worked its way out of Danny's throat and caught the girl's attention. Her violet eyes blinked and turned toward him as she smiled, seemingly just as nervous and confused as he was.

"Just…try not to accidentally threaten them this time?" Sam suggested unhelpfully, her arm sweeping toward the reptiles. Danny rolled his eyes. He was about to take a step forward when he realized something. She was following him. He was going into a potentially dangerous situation, and she was following him right into it. His scaly brows scrunched together and he gave the girl a very serious look. When her expression turned to a frown, he looked pointedly toward the patch of ground where she stood. Her gaze followed his before looking back to his large, blue eyes. Seeing the confusion on her face, he huffed and nodded his head toward the ground again.

"Danny," started Sam uncertainly, "I'm not…Oh." Understanding dawned on her face before it twisted into a scowl. "Seriously? You think I'm just going to wait here?"

Danny nodded vehemently, then used his own little gesture once more. He allowed himself a soft growl to try to enforce his insistence. The sound was cut short though, as he looked over to make sure Toothless hadn't heard it. Danny wasn't sure how good the creature's hearing was, but he knew he didn't want to get scolded again. Satisfied that he hadn't gotten the smaller dragon's attention, he turned his scowling face back to Sam. The girl was stubborn, and he needed to convince her to back down. The two stared each other down for several seconds before Sam threw her hands into the air with grumpy resignation.

"Fine! I'll stay back here while you go traipse off to _frolic_ with the other lizards _._ " Angrily, she turned her back on him and crossed her arms. Danny sighed deeply in frustration at her reaction. The inability to explain himself was getting very old very quickly. He needed to be sure she was safe, away from these new beasts, to give himself some peace of mind. But how was he supposed to tell her that? Hoping she wouldn't follow, Danny shook his head and trudged toward the dragons.

As he neared the group of reptiles, Toothless growled happily and rushed over to circle around him before running back to the group. Danny paused once again, nervousness speeding his pulse as he saw six sets of draconic eyes watching him. It reminded him a little of high school, specifically his first detention. He swallowed at the tightness in his throat and continued forward. So far, none of the dragons had made any moves other than to shift their weight or tilt their heads in curiosity. Eventually his uncertainty pulled him to a stop, his feet traitorously refusing to bring him any further.

The smaller black dragon seemed to notice his plight and trotted over to his side, humming a note of encouragement. He head-butted Danny's shoulder gently before taking a few steps back toward his companions and looking behind to make sure he was followed. With a nod to himself, Danny took a deep breath and hesitantly took a step forward. Then promptly felt his front foot turn intangible beneath him as chaos erupted with his panicked roar.

* * *

Back in the forest, Hiccup was getting frustrated. Introducing people to dragons was one thing. Introducing the creatures to their own kind usually wasn't that big of a deal either. But this was driving him up the wall. How was he supposed to introduce one that didn't know how to act around other dragons? To top it off, it seemed to have some major aggression issues. They had almost worked out a plan when Tuffnut spoke up.

"You know," he said, "if he could turn invisible, he could just follow us and we wouldn't have this problem."

"Actually, the others would still be able to smell him," Fishlegs countered with a very matter-of-fact tone, "besides, only Changewings have camouflage _that_ effective, and they still have shadows."

"But it would be awesome if more dragons could," Tuffnut added excitedly.

"Imagine if Barf and Belch could turn invisible!" Ruffnut suddenly chimed in with a laugh. "Then it would look like we're just sitting in the air and flying around! Total Loki!" The two bumped fists in celebration of their amazing idea.

Hiccup squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep, calming breath. They had been so close to figuring out the situation, too. He looked over his shoulder to check on their new companions. But they were gone. His green eyes went wide with alarm. That Danny dragon was gone, as were Sam and…

"Toothless!" He cried out, looking around frantically. He felt dread wrap itself around the pit of his stomach as he noticed the path broken through the undergrowth. The worried gazes of his fellow Vikings barely registered as Hiccup's mind pieced together what happened.

"Oh my Thor…" he turned back to the others and was about to voice his suspicions when several frantic roars broke out in the distance. With a sharp gasp, Hiccup sprinted toward the noise in a frenzy, not bothering to see if the others followed. He was certain he heard Toothless in the sounds still bellowing just out of sight. The man hoped the new beast hadn't attacked the others. Silent prayers floated through his mind to all the deities he could remember as he raced onward.

When he broke through the trees, he could barely make sense of the scene ahead of him. Hiccup froze and watched as Hookfang scrambled away from a snarling and writhing tangle of black to join the other dragons who were edging away from it nervously. He heard Sam's voice cry out her dragon's name and suddenly a victor became clear. Toothless pinned Danny to the ground with an angry snort, then turned his attention to the other reptiles to flare his wings and growl warningly for a moment. The larger dragon appeared to be dazed and confused. Hiccup thought he saw a number of angry red scratches marring his coal black hide, scratches that also seemed to be present on Toothless.

The rest of the Vikings arrived as the spooked dragons began to fold their wings. Toothless, strangely enough, seemed to think it necessary to sit on Danny's back and keep him pinned down. The larger, trapped creature slowly came to his senses and managed to twist his scaly features into an expression of complete embarrassment. Not far away from where the human group emerged, Sam began to laugh.

Feeling very shaken, Hiccup stomped over to the girl. He glared at her, angrily. Five stunned Vikings followed closely behind; a much simpler feat when he wasn't running as fast as he could.

"What happened?" he demanded, his temper rising as she struggled to control her mirth.

"Oh man, I haven't seen _that_ in forever!" Sam commented with one last laugh. Danny's grumble of embarrassed complaint met Hiccup's ears. The very…well… _human_ intonation was just compounding the Viking's frustrating inability to comprehend the beast. Even if the creature had been raised by humans all his life, it didn't make sense for him to behave so much like one in one instance and completely like a dragon the next. He didn't like being unable to understand things, particularly when it came to dragons.

"Haven't seen what in forever? What. Happened?!" Hiccup demanded once again. He could feel his anger, frustration, and confusion roiling together, threatening to overwhelm him.

"He went and lost his le—er…" the grin on her face fell as her eyes landed on his metal leg for the first time. "He managed to trip while standing still," she amended sheepishly, pointing her thumb at the reptiles, "and it totally freaked those guys out. Which freaked him out, and—By the way, is it normal for dragons to catch on fire?"

"It is for Hookfang!" Snotlout announced, his chest puffed out proudly, "He—"

"Shut it!" hissed Astrid, who did not even bother resisting the urge to shove him off balance in irritation.

"How does a dragon trip while standing still?" wondered Fishlegs. Hiccup was wondering the same thing. It had to be something more. A little stumble wouldn't frighten a group of dragons that badly. He looked over at the creatures to see that Danny was still pinned to the ground with Toothless sitting on top of him, almost carelessly. The other dragons were warily edging closer to inspect the newcomer, who looked almost as wary of them but unable to move away.

"Danny has mad klutz skills," Sam explained with a smirk, which quickly turned to a scowl when Snotlout snickered at the dragon's name.

"Anyway," she continued, "I'm pretty sure he was already really nervous, so when he tripped, he just kind of flipped out. One thing led to the next, and then Toothless got in there and pretty much saved a lot of scaly butt." Hiccup frowned. It wasn't adding up, but he had no other witnesses who could actually talk. That last part, though…

"What do you mean?" Astrid asked before he could open his mouth.

"Yeah," Tuffnut chimed in, surprisingly quiet until that point, "I bet barf and belch could have taken him down if they needed to."

"In a heartbeat," agreed Ruffnut with a nod. Her arms crossed defiantly, ready to defend the honor of the two-headed dragon.

"I'm not so sure," Hiccup interrupted, his tone measured and thoughtful, "Toothless was having a hard time with him. I saw the end of the fight." Five looks of shock swiftly turned to face him. Sam had a smug grin playing across her features as though proud of the defeated creature.

"He has his moments," the girl offered cryptically, "he just loses track of things when he gets thinking too much." Her grin widened at the confused looks. Hiccup frowned at her for a long moment. With a sigh of frustration, he ran his hand through his auburn mop of hair and turned his attention back to the dragons. Toothless had begun to lick at the scratches on his front legs. Danny, ignoring his own wounds, was eyeing Barf and Belch, who seemed to be daring each other to nudge him. The remaining dragons simply looked on with curiosity.

Suddenly, Sam seemed to be struck by an idea. She brushed a few stray black hairs out of her eyes and looked back toward the forest.

"Danny!" she called, "wait right here, I'm going to find some herbs!" Then she bolted back into the trees, leaving a startled group of Vikings and a very nervous dragon staring after her.

* * *

Danny was trying very hard not to panic and chase after Sam. He knew she'd probably seen some medicinal plants or something during their hike through the woods, but did she have to leave him there? Yes, she could probably move faster on her own right now. And _maybe_ there was the possibility he would accidentally trample on the plants she was looking for. Okay, he would probably just plain be in the way, but still!

The two-headed dragon wasn't helping his nervousness. Danny scooted himself away as one of the heads came a little too close for comfort. Strangely enough, Toothless seemed to sense his distress and positioned himself between them before returning his attention back to his injuries. Danny was relieved to see that he hadn't done any major damage to the creature. There were some scratches, but nothing looked too deep.

A mild stinging sensation reminded him that he'd been wounded, too. He began to check himself over, glad, for the first time that he had the long neck to help him see better. It looked like Toothless had gone easy on him, too. The scrapes were shallow and already scabbing over. He was certain Sam would help clean them up when she got back. He sighed and shook his head. No, she would have to do it for him. He wouldn't be able to hold a rag.

He turned his attention back to the Vikings he'd been left with. The shorter Viking man was looking on and laughing as the twins wrestled angrily, having gotten into an argument that quickly dissolved into violence. Not far from them stood the other three, observing Danny and making him decidedly uncomfortable. The look Hiccup had trained on him was unnerving. To one side stood the girl he remembered being called Astrid. The large blond fellow was at his other side, excitedly blathering on about something in the book he held. Hiccup, however, didn't look like he was paying much attention to the large man.

"He's definitely not in the Boulder or Sharp classes…" Danny heard the unexpectedly boyish voice assess, "and I'm thinking he's probably not Tidal class, either." The dragon scowled. He definitely did not like being studied or classified or whatever it was they were trying to do. He knew it happened all too frequently at home, whether he allowed it or not.

"Fishlegs," Hiccup abruptly interrupted his friend, "I think we're going to have to figure that out later." The familiar Viking man was looking back at Danny suspiciously. The dragon nervously looked away, trying to pretend he hadn't been listening. He hoped Sam would return quickly.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry for the wait, my lovely readers! As you know, I wanted to have the visual ready for the release of this chapter, and so I have. It can be found at pleasantdoom dot deviantart dot com (slash) art/DragonDanny-591697611

I'm sure you all can figure out how to make that work, considering I believe it would be censored if posted as a regular address. If you have trouble getting to it, let me know via PM so I can find a way to fix that.

Anyway, in the comments, I received a very helpful bit of constructive criticism. To that reviewer, I say Thanks again!

And, as always, thanks for reading!

Edit: To make things clear, yes, I did remember the changewings, but not from the series. Those episodes are unavailable to me so I ask you, dear readers, to forgive my lapses of canon events between the first movie and Race to the Edge. Also, I am able to appreciate criticism that helps improve my skills and my story, but name-calling is unacceptable. If something does need to be fixed, please inform me in a more friendly manner and I will gladly make the corrections where I can. Like I just did.

The ghost powers thing is going to come up in just a couple of chapters. At this point, though, they're trying to not have a repeat of the whole Salem incident while they're stuck with potentially superstitious and definitely dangerous warriors. You'll see what happens. ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Sam felt a little guilty as she made the return trip through the trees. She'd had to go a little further back than she thought to get what she needed. When she'd stumbled across a burdock plant, she gladly harvested one of the massive leaves to carry her harvest in, which included the reason she was feeling guilty. Sam was starting to get hungry and had decided to gather a few edible greens while she was at it. There wasn't much, thanks to the variety of plants being rather unfamiliar, but it would work as a snack. She was wishing she knew what was safe for Danny, but didn't dare risk feeding him something that would poison his current form.

As she broke through the trees and neared where she had left her friend and their new companions, a wry smile crept across her face. She shifted her leafy bundle to free a hand to sneak a picture with the cell phone that was in her pocket.

There was Danny, looking absolutely mortified as a birdish, spike-covered creature and a very lumpy, round beast gave him a cat bath. Toothless was giving him a stern look, which left Sam to believe he'd already attempted an escape. With a snicker, she returned her phone to her pocket.

"Danny," she said loudly, "I think you've been adopted!" Danny turned his head at the sound of her voice. When his eyes landed on her, his eyes widened and he promptly attempted to hide his face. She smirked at his reaction. This would be excellent blackmail later on.

"What do mean, he's been adopted?" Hiccup asked in confusion as she approached. Sam's expression turned smug. Apparently he'd never seen this behavior before.

"I'm pretty sure Toothless has decided to be his big brother," she explained, "and he's pretty much the baby of the pack, now." Danny whined, a pitiful noise that gave away what he thought of the revelation.

"That's…odd," Hiccup commented, his brows drawn together in confusion, "sure, dragons will form packs with other breeds of dragons, but I didn't think they would outright adopt one. Especially considering yours is definitely _not_ a hatchling."

"Well, he's still technically a juvenile, I guess," Sam shrugged, "I mean, it happens a lot back home, sometimes between rival species. Dogs adopting squirrels… Cats adopting puppies… Lions ad—oh wait… You probably haven't heard of those yet…" The girl bit her lip. She'd slipped and mentioned the future. Several Vikings stared at her blankly. One, though, fixed her with a contemplative stare.

"I thought you said you were a Nomad." Sam cringed inwardly at Hiccup's words. She had already managed to mess up her hastily crafted story. She was so worried about slipping up on the when that she'd completely forgotten the where.

"Hey, Danny! Let's get this stuff on those cuts." Smooth, she admonished herself with a slight cringe, as subtle as the Box Ghost. Even their other friend back home would have been able to deflect the topic better. The shorter, muscular Viking looked like he was about to comment, until he was nearly bowled over by Danny.

The dragon had eagerly escaped the creatures who were cleaning his room. He scurried to the other side of Sam, effectively placing her between them and him. He managed to only trip once during his scramble and had managed to recover quickly. Danny really was getting better at handling his current shape, even if he did seem to forget he was so much larger than his friend now. Sam rolled her eyes at his feeble attempt at hiding behind her. It was an effective distraction, though.

"What are you doing?" asked Astrid. She cautiously walked closer to watch as Sam started mashing bits of plants and smearing it onto Danny's freshly dragon-cleaned wounds. The younger girl continued her work as she answered.

"I saw this stuff growing on the woods. It helps speed the healing process and prevents infection," she explained, " _and_ it's perfectly safe for non-humans. I should probably save some for Toothless, too…" Danny nodded in guilty agreement. Sam patted his shoulder comfortingly and returned to her work. She knew he felt bad, but he didn't need to beat himself up over it.

"So…you must be an apprentice healer for your clan, then…" Astrid concluded thoughtfully. Sam paused a moment.

"Sure. Let's go with that," she agreed, then walked to Danny's other side to continue what she was doing. Astrid followed, and soon the two were joined by a curious Hiccup. When she offered to teach them, the agreed quickly and Hiccup gestured to the large blonde fellow.

"Fishlegs, come over here!" the lanky Viking called. Sam nearly dropped her supplies and Danny's head jerked up. The two looked at each other. Maybe it was a friendly insult? Sure it was the strangest one they'd ever heard, but it could just be a Viking thing.

"This is Fishlegs, by the way," Hiccup said, introducing his friend as he reached them. Sam's jaw dropped in disbelief. It was the man's name. His actual name. Not even a beat later, Danny started snickering. The Vikings, already stunned by the bizarre noise he was making, were absolutely flabbergasted when Sam punched his shoulder. Hard.

"Be nice," she admonished the creature as she glared. He snorted and struggled to bite back the laughter. He buried his snout in his front feet to attempt to hide the amused smile he still wore. Sam rolled her eyes, still annoyed, but relieved that he didn't fall over this time. She would have had to find a way to re-clean the untreated wounds if that had happened. The girl was certain he would not willingly subject himself to another spit bath from those other dragons.

"What was that?" The speechlessness was broken by the shorter, brown haired Viking as he approached. He was followed by the clearly shocked twins.

"What?" replied Sam with a shrug, "he was being rude, so I hit him." Danny raised his head and scowled at her, no longer feeling like laughing. She scowled right back.

"Very cool that you got away with punching a dragon, but not what I meant."

"Was he _laughing_?" asked the female twin.

"I do believe he was laughing," stated the other, attempting to sound intelligent, "which is weird, because I thought dragons didn't laugh."

"They don't," confirmed Hiccup with a frown, "at least not the ones I've met. And I've met a _lot_ of dragons." It was a very pointed comment that set Astrid frowning thoughtfully.

"Well, he _was_ raised by humans…so, I guess he picked it up." Sam chuckled nervously. Danny grimaced at her apologetically. She was about to absently stroke his nose but caught herself and smeared the medicinal mash into a small scrape on his face instead. She was _not_ about to start treating him like an animal. He would hate that. Besides, it was a good excuse to return to her task.

"I…uh…better get back to this. You wanted to learn, right?" she asked Hiccup. The Viking sighed in frustration, then nodded. If the girl found the herbs to be effective for her own dragon, it was worth learning. His questions would have to wait.

* * *

After several minutes of explanation, and three very bored Vikings wandering away to goof off, Fishlegs sat nearby to make notes in his book while Astrid went with Hiccup to treat the wounds on Toothless. Hiccup could hear Snotlout and the twins loudly discussing dragon humor. Did they tell each other jokes? Did they pull pranks? Could a dragon learn to be a servant of Loki? The slender Viking rolled his green eyes and tried to ignore them.

Though inexperienced, having two sets of hands to do the work made the task of patching up Toothless much quicker, in spite of the creature's fidgeting. When they were nearly done, they observed what appeared to be another argument between Sam and her dragon as she tried to treat a gash on his flank. Why the dragon looked so embarrassed over it was beyond Hiccup's understanding. Even more puzzling was why the girl blushed so badly and hesitated in her task when the beast finally held still for her.

"There's something very weird about those two," Hiccup commented to Astrid as he smeared the plant mush on the last of the scrapes.

"That's an understatement," the young woman agreed, "I mean, it almost like he thinks he's a person and she's, I don't know, playing along, or something." Astrid looked at her goo-covered hands with disgust, missing the expression that crossed Hiccup's face. Was it possible? Did the creature really believe himself to be human? It still didn't quite make sense, though. If it were true, then the girl indulged the beast's delusions far too believably. There was still a piece missing. Some vital tidbit of information that would make everything fall into place.

"Well," Hiccup drawled, examining the sludge on his own hands, "we should probably eat something and head back to base. I'm sure we'll get it all figured out there." He looked at the ground and wiped his hands on a patch of grass poking out of the rock. Astrid did likewise as Hiccup called out to the group. It took a second shout to get the attention of the twins. Eventually, though, the group gathered, including Sam who was closely followed by Danny. The dragon was warily eyeing Stormfly and Meatlug as though afraid they would attempt to wash him again.

"Okay, guys," Hiccup announced, "here's the plan. If we have lunch now and start flying, we should be able to get back to Dragon's Edge before it gets too dark. Hopefully the Night Terrors won't get too curious, but we'll take care of that when it comes to it." Sam and Danny stared at him blankly as the others agreed to the plan. As they separated to gather rations from their dragons' saddle bags, Hiccup motioned for the girl to follow him toward Toothless.

"Errr…what's a Night Terror…?" she asked hesitantly. Hiccup blinked. It took him a second to realize she probably hadn't encountered anything like them before.

"They're a type of Stoker class dragons," he answered as he reached into one of the leather pockets, "little guys that usually travel in mobs. They're sort of our early warning system for if we get unexpected visitors." A dark look crossed his face for a moment as he remembered their main reason for even needing the little creatures to keep an eye out. The expression passed, though, as he retrieved what he had been digging for.

"Here," he said as he lightly tossed a chunk of meat to her, "it's cured mutton, straight from Berk." Sarcastic pride colored his voice. None of the food from his home island was really worth bragging about. The look on her face, though, showed that she was far beyond unimpressed, though. If anything, she looked positively disgusted.

"It's not _that_ bad…" he commented. Did their food really have that far-reaching of a reputation? Toothless shifted his weight expectantly as Hiccup reached in for another portion. The creature was clearly hoping his rider would pull out an extra piece for him.

"Thanks, but…I'm a…uh…vegetarian," she forced herself to explain as she held the mutton at arm's length and eyed it with distaste. Danny sniffed the meat curiously. The Viking turned and gave her a blank look. He'd never heard of a vegetarian. He suspected that was the name of her supposed nomad troupe. Perhaps they had something against sheep? That didn't make sense either. She clearly wasn't wearing fur, so it had to be some sort of extremely fine wool. Maybe he'd forgotten about a deity for sheep. Was there a clan that dedicated themselves to a sheep deity? If there was, he hoped neither the twins nor Snotlout ever learned of it.

As though sensing Hiccup's growing confusion and concern, Danny nudged Sam's shoulder with his nose and jerked his head lightly toward the Viking. Sam looked between Hiccup and her dragon before realization dawned on her face.

"Oh… Vegetarian means I don't eat meat," she explained with a sigh, "to be more specific, if it ever had a face or came from something that did, it's no go. And I already ate." Hiccup blinked at her. He was trying, and miserably failing, to understand.

"How in Andhrímnir's name do you get enough food? I mean…" Hiccup blinked and scowled in thought, "winter alone… It can't be possible to gather that many roots…especially as ' _nomads'._ " The emphasis of the last word illustrated his dwindling acceptance of her claim.

"Well…" she looked at Danny, who shrugged and went back to focusing on the meat in her still outstretched hand, "it's just…a lot easier to get vegetables and fruit where we do our…uh…nomad-ing." Sam was spared further questions when Toothless chose that moment to remind Hiccup he was there with a small roar of exasperation that startled the young man.

The Viking grinned at his dragon and raised one of the previously forgotten chunks of mutton in his hands. Toothless expectantly licked his gummy chops and tensed. As Hiccup threw the meat into the air, the dragon extended his retractable teeth and leapt to snatch it expertly. The human then followed suit and began to eat.

Having witnessed the spectacle, Danny whined at Sam, eyes still glued to the portion she held. She looked at him for a moment before she smacked her own face with her clean hand.

"Open up," she ordered. The dragon readily obeyed and she carefully placed the mutton in his toothy maw.

"I'm clear." As soon as she spoke, the beast snapped his mouth shut and began to chew. It was the strangest way to feed a dragon Hiccup had ever seen. It was as though the girl thought the creature didn't know where his own snout ended. Then there was the most unimpressed expression he'd ever seen on a dragon that crossed Danny's face. What had they been feeding him that he would be so underwhelmed by eating meat? The Viking looked at the ecstatic creature next to him. Toothless was always happy to be given mutton. Or fish. Or any kind of food, really, as long as he got to eat it.

The strangeness that was Sam and Danny just kept getting stranger. The two were becoming harder and harder to understand. Hiccup shook his head. He was certain it would drive him to insanity if he didn't get a real explanation soon.

* * *

 **A/N:** Thanks again for reading! I did my best to get this chapter out as quickly as I could for you, my dear readers. You can probably figure out what's going to happen next chapter, so I'll do my best to spice it up. I appreciate the kind comments you all have been sending me, both about the story and the picture. They always make me smile. And don't worry, negative comments won't ever make me stop writing. There are too many people making it clear they want more for me to let it go without a satisfying ending. I also have an idea for a sequel, but I'll have to do some "research" before I start fleshing it out.

Anywut, a tidbit of information: **Andhrímnir** is basically the cook for the Norse deities. His story is that he once slayed a mythical, giant boar and cooked it to feed to the gods. After that, the boar would come back to life every day, and every day he would hunt and cook it to feed to the gods and the warriors in Valhalla to keep them well fed and ready for Ragnarok. While not a deity himself, I figured a mention was worthwhile.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll see you with the next one!


	7. Chapter 7

One by one, the Vikings finished eating. As they licked their fingers clean, Sam began to worry. She looked at Danny and cleared her throat. The dragon looked at her with a questioning hum and she motioned for him to follow her. Together, they wandered a few yards away from the rest of the group and the girl gestured for him to move closer. A concerned look crossed his face as he obliged and tilted his ear toward her.

"Are you going to be able to fly?" the girl asked in a hushed whisper. Danny's bright blue eyes widened for a moment before his expression turned thoughtful. Sam waited a moment, watching his eyebrows knit together before he nodded hesitantly. She scowled and shook her head.

"No, I mean with the wings," Sam practically hissed. She flapped her arms in a small, awkward gesture. The dragon frowned and turned his head to look at the appendages attached to his back. With all the subtlety of a train wreck, Danny spread his wings and tested their motion. Sam put her face in her hands. She had hoped he'd understand the point of the whole _whispering_ thing, but then, he _was_ raised by parents who really couldn't take a hint unless it hit them upside the head. Even then, it wasn't guaranteed they would get it. The girl was pretty sure it was hereditary.

After a few more trials and much staring from their Viking companions, Danny looked at her and shook his head. Sam pulled her inky locks back as she frantically tried to think. Any moment, she knew that Hiccup guy would wander over to see what was going on. He was too curious. Too smart. Too likely to piece things together. He was also their best chance at finding a village with someone who could potentially help them with their situation. They had to stay with him.

"Okay," the girl said quietly, more to herself than her reptilian companion, "ghostly flight is going to raise questions, so that's a no there. You haven't figured out the wings yet, so that's also a no." An idea struck her and she snapped her fingers.

"Fake it," Sam desperately whispered, "it sounds like it's going to be a long way, but if you can pretend…" Hope welled up inside her. They might could deflect the curiosity just a little longer. It might save them a few more questions they couldn't answer.

Her heart plummeted as Danny looked at her apologetically and slowly shook his head once more. Sam released a heavy sigh. She understood what he had concluded. It _had_ been a lot to ask. A prolonged flight like that would be exhausting on its own without having to focus on pretending to flap wings he could barely move without looking awkward. Having to deal with a much larger mass than he was used to would only compound that problem. Unless there were rest stops along the way, which she doubted, he would likely end up passing out and falling into the sea. They were down to two choices: either stay behind, waiting for a portal that might never come and risking Danny's starvation or accidental poisoning, or quickly fabricate a hopefully believable reason as to why a healthy looking dragon was unable to fly.

With another glance at the distraught creature, she came to a decision. She knew which choice he was likely to make, and so, as the Vikings exchanged concerned looks and began to approach, she decided to take the one Danny would have rejected. After all, it was his job to rush in "where angels fear to tread" for the greater good and her job to think rationally for his.

* * *

Hiccup had forced himself to ignore the girl and her dragon when they had wandered away. He had tried very hard not to watch them as it became clear they were having an actual conversation, and not of the more or less one-directional variety he usually found himself in where Toothless was concerned. However, when the larger black creature began his ungainly attempts at flapping his wings, the Viking couldn't help staring at the awkward display. Hiccup turned away briefly when Toothless joined his side and hummed a worried note. With a reassuring pat to the creature's head, he returned his attention to the girl. Sam was whispering frantically to Danny, looking ready to panic. When he mournfully shook his head, she seemed to deflate.

The watchful Viking turned and cast his green eyes toward his companions. He saw his concern for the strange beast reflected in their own expressions. Giving them a nod, he hesitantly strode forward. The others followed his lead, as did Toothless. After having it pointed out, Hiccup could see how protective the creature had become of Danny, in spite of having only known him for such a short time.

"Sam?" asked Hiccup as the group drew closer, "is something wrong?" The girl cast her violet eyes toward her dragon and bit her lip. The creature watched her almost pleadingly. She sighed and looked back at the slender Viking.

"We…uh…have a little problem," Sam began. She ignored her dragon's questioning whine and continued. "See…I think Danny hit his head pretty hard when we…er…fell…"

Hiccup frowned. He had suspected head injuries, potentially on both of them. He eyed the now complaining creature before glancing at Toothless. His own dragon was clearly not paying attention to humans at the moment, so the Viking turned his attention back to Sam.

"Well, I think he forgot how to fly…" she nervously told them.

"WHAT?!" The immediate response was spat out by all the Vikings. Danny's reptilian face was full of resentment. Hiccup, being the only one who seemed to notice it, quashed the multiplying questions that were once again worming their way into his mind. They needed a solution, and he needed to concentrate on how to transport a dragon without his curiosity distracting him.

"How does a flying dragon forget how to fly?" demanded Snotlout, his hands on his hips.

"Loki got him good, didn't he?" Ruffnut commented solemnly.

"That he did," Tuffnut replied with a nod. He placed a consoling arm around his twin's shoulder.

"Are you sure he didn't just twist a wing when he was fighting with Toothless?" Astrid asked, stepping forward. Her arm reached out to grasp and inspect the appendages, but the creature scrambled away in alarm.

"He doesn't exactly like people touching his wings. Or tail," Sam added, "besides, I checked earlier." Hiccup knew that last bit was a lie. He'd been observing her and her dragon, and never once did she check for injuries beyond the visible scratches. He frowned. The man couldn't think of any reason why she would be untruthful about something like that. It was another piece to an incomprehensible puzzle. Another riddle, like the creature clearly objecting to her informing them of his predicament. Hiccup shook his head. It was time for solutions, not enigmas.

"You guys brought ropes, right?" he said to his Viking companions, breaking into the conversation. Startled out of their topic, they nodded in confusion. Astrid was the first to understand.

"Harness?" asked the Viking woman. Hiccup nodded with half a smile. One by one the others realized what was going on. Hiccup turned to retrieve his own rope. Except Toothless had wandered off, taking the saddle bags with him. The man hadn't even noticed when the creature moved.

"Toothless?" he called out. The group looked around before spotting him, still nearby. Naturally, he was pestering Danny once again. The larger creature looked exasperated and was edging away from the smaller one, who appeared to be trying to nudge Danny's wing with his nose. Soon, the small, curious pursuit devolved into an outright chase. Hiccup sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. When his attention returned to the group, he saw them returning to their dragons to gather the needed supplies. He could already see their return growing later and later.

* * *

It took several minutes to get Toothless to stop chasing Danny, and several more to get the larger dragon to hold still for fabricating the makeshift harness. The only thing that seemed to keep him from bolting was Sam holding his face and mumbling repetitively to him. None of the Vikings were certain what she was saying, but none of them particularly cared. It was keeping the beast from moving and no one was sure how long it would be effective. They worked as efficiently as they could. Even the twins restrained themselves…to a degree.

As they worked, the dragon kept his massive blue eyes locked on Sam's face, his ears pointed forward to listen in an attempt to block everything else out. Each time one of the Vikings had to touch him to add a new rope, he flinched and the girl would speak a little faster to regain his attention. At one point, someone bumped his wing, causing the beast to shudder violently. Everyone had frozen in place for a moment when that happened as they waited for Sam to calm him down again. Eventually the group finished and, with a signal from Hiccup, Sam smiled at her dragon and stepped back.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" the girl asked, sarcasm dripping from each word. Danny scowled at her and raised an eyebrow in a highly unamused query. Even the Vikings groaned and rolled their eyes. It had been tense and unpleasant for all of them. After a moment of stretching sore fingers and popping knuckles all around, Hiccup began to organize the troupe.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut," he called out, and the twins saluted exaggeratedly, "you get the back ropes."

"Sir! Yes, sir!" the two chorused with another salute.

"Astrid, you take left, I'll take right." The young woman nodded in agreement to their leader's words.

"Fishlegs, you keep track of navigation and fly lookout. I don't think Meatlug can handle the extra weight," Hiccup explained. The large fellow nodded understandingly.

"Snotlout," Hiccup started, but was interrupted by a snicker from Danny. Sam promptly punched his shoulder to shut him up. The Viking rolled his green eyes and began again. The dragon seemed to find the strangest moments to find things funny.

"Snotlout, Sam will fly with you, and you'll rotate out to give the other dragons some rest," he ordered. Danny narrowed his eyes and growled a little, then suddenly stopped as though surprised by himself. Sam looked at him, just as shocked. The Vikings all eyed the creature warily. Danny sheepishly lowered his head and looked away.

"Okay, that was weird…" Hiccup commented drily. Sam nodded in agreement and her dragon started to look embarrassed again. The Viking raised an eyebrow at her response but said nothing.

"Alright," he turned his attention back to the group, "let's saddle up and get going."

"Why do I always get the weird, violent passengers," muttered Snotlout grumpily as the group separated. Sam cast Danny one more reassuring smile before following the muscular, brown-haired Viking to where Hookfang had fallen asleep out of boredom.

Hiccup watched Danny stare after her wistfully. His eyebrow shot up again as the beast whined softly.

"Possessive much?" the Viking asked. He hadn't fully expected a response when the dragon's head whipped around to look at him in surprise. It then dawned on him that no one but Sam had addressed the creature directly since they'd left the clearing. That had to be the reason for his behavior. He was her companion, and she was his only connection to his territory. She was the only one who humored his delusions. Of course he would be possessive.

"Hookfang's a strong flier," Hiccup told the beast, not knowing how much of his words were understood, "and he's the only one who can take an extra passenger right now." Danny nodded glumly. He winced when Hiccup raised his eyebrows at him.

"You actually understand me, don't you," he observed. The dragon winced again and looked back toward Sam, effectively closing himself off. With a sigh, the Viking shook his head. He mentally added another item to the growing list of questions he wanted to ask.

Straightening up, the man turned to see where his own dragon had got to and whistled. Seconds later, the beast raced over and Hiccup was attaching a set of ropes to Toothless' saddle. As he secured his knots, he noticed Danny eyeing the smaller dragon's saddle. He could see curiosity and fascination fill the reptile's eyes as they took in the mechanical device the man's prosthetic leg would latch into. The creature then turned his head to follow the connecting rod to Toothless' prosthetic tail fin. He tilted his head in confusion and looked at Hiccup as though wanting to ask a question.

"Long story short," the Viking found himself explaining, "he got hurt, I got him back in the air. I got hurt, we modified the rig. He doesn't fly without me, and I don't want to fly without him. Right bud?" He rubbed Toothless' head fondly and pulled himself into the saddle. The smaller dragon offered a reptilian approximation of a grin and the Viking chuckled.

"Just…don't tell anyone I got sappy there, okay?" He smirked at the larger dragon as Danny rolled his eyes. They both knew it was impossible. As Hiccup clicked his metal foot into place and gave the fin connection a brief test, Danny watched on curiously. Why the creature would be interested in the device was beyond him. The thought was cut short as the other riders arrived with their dragons and began to prepare their own ropes.

Moments later, they were in the air, an awkward burden suspended between three creatures, though they seemed to barely notice the weight. The dragon below them wore an expression of deep concentration, though he often peered over to where he knew his companion was. And she, from the back of another dragon, clinging disgustedly to the rider in front of her, frequently glanced over to check on him in return. Hiccup smiled to himself. Perhaps the flight back wouldn't be as bad as he expected.

* * *

 **A/N:** You guys. :3

First, I must say, you guys are awesome. I love seeing the reviews pop up. Some of you guys make comments that...well...My efforts to resist giving spoilers push me to write the next chapter as fast as I can, because I reeeeeally want to tell you what happens next! So I must write, so I can! So, this chapter is a little shorter than the previous one, because [spoiler redacted]. Anyway. Reasons. There's going to be a couple of semi-serious chapters here and the story progresses.

Also, yes, I know Toothless can fly with the fin locked into position. His not flying without Hiccup is a conscious decision.

Anywut...They're finally off the island! Huzzah!

As always, thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

The flight was going well, for the most part. The winds were favorable, the dragons were calm, and, even after three hours, they hadn't needed Snotlout and Hookfang to take over any of the positions. The Vikings had tried to strike up conversations with Sam, but she wasn't exactly offering many answers, so they soon fell back into silence, which was only broken by the occasional argument between Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Hiccup looked down to check on their living cargo and noticed that the creature had begun to nod off. The man smiled, glad that the beast had grown accustomed enough to the pack to allow himself some rest. Until Sam began to shout.

"Danny! Wake up!" she yelled at her dragon. The beast shook its head and perked up for a few seconds. Soon, though, the drowsy creature's consciousness began to drift again.

"Danny!"

"Let him sleep," Hiccup interrupted with a laugh, "he looks exhausted. What's the harm?"

"He tends to get heavy when he falls asleep," she explained hurriedly, "like, _really_ heavy." Her violet eyes were glued on the dangling creature as his head dipped once more.

"That's not possible," chimed in Fishlegs intelligently, "dragons, like people, don't get heavier just because they're unconscious. It just seems like it when you're having to carry or drag them." Hiccup nodded his agreement. They'd had to deal with such situations before, so they all knew by experience.

"Dead weight," Astrid added, "it's just a lot more awkward to transport. Besides, he's already pretty much dead weight right now. I'm actually kind of surprised the dragons aren't having any trouble with carrying him." She smiled proudly with her observation. Hiccup grinned back at the Viking woman. He had expected more of a struggle just to get airborne and anticipated having to switch out frequently. The fact that they hadn't had such problems proved to him that their dragons had gotten stronger at some point.

"It reminds me of that time when Tuff—" Ruffnut was cut off with a strangled yelp that mingled with three others, and a few short roars of fright, as the dragons carrying Danny were suddenly yanked downward for a moment. The tired creature jerked his head up as though half dreaming and looked around blearily.

"What was that?!" demanded Hiccup. He looked down at their cargo once again to see a mildly worried expression on the dragon's weary features.

"Like I said...heavy," Sam explained unhelpfully. The forced calm in her voice was betrayed by the fear on her face and tension visible in her shoulders.

"Not so tight!" yelled Snotlout. Apparently the girl's grip on his midsection had gotten stronger with her worry and she hadn't noticed. Hiccup looked over and saw her attempting to calm down. He opened his mouth to ask for clarification, but a yell came out instead as he felt Toothless drop beneath him once again. This time, though, the struggle of the three dragons continued. They were slowly losing altitude in their frantic battle against the suddenly increased weight, and Danny, fast asleep, was blissfully unaware.

* * *

Sam watched on in horror as the group transporting her friend flailed in attempts of regaining their slowly dwindling altitude. Fishlegs and Snotlout were shouting back and forth, trying to formulate a rescue, but neither could get close without putting their own dragons at risk. The other Vikings were shouting encouragement to their panicked dragons. If they couldn't get a break long enough to get their efforts synchronized again, Sam knew it would be impossible to even maintain their altitude. She thought quickly and an idea burst into her mind.

Wake Danny.

She knew he could sleep through nearly anything if he was tired enough, and he had to be completely wiped out after the day they'd been having. She was also certain he'd been using a little ghostly flight to help out and draining his energy further. But if she could find a way to drag him out of dreamland, he could float long enough for the dragons to regain their balance and get back to a steady flight. The girl frowned inwardly and steeled herself.

"Can you get Hookfang right in front of Danny?" she asked the Viking she still clung to.

"I can, but what good will that do?" he demanded, chancing a glance over his shoulder at her.

"Just do it!" Without another word, Snotlout directed his dragon into a shallow dive. A mere two seconds later and they flew directly in front of the sleeping beast, rising and falling with each beat of Hookfang's scaly wings. Sam tentatively freed one hand, searching for something, _anything_ in her reach that would make an effective projectile. A quick, and disgusting, check of the saddle bags found only more mutton and a few other supplies that were likely vital. Her pocket only had her cellphone, which wasn't nearly heavy enough to do anything. She could reach Snotlout's axe, but that would likely kill the poor dragon. The only option she found herself left with was her boots. Her precious, beloved combat boots.

She cringed and pulled off the first piece of footwear. The only consolation she felt at the anticipated loss was that, someday, it would probably confuse a lot of archaeologists. After only a moment's hesitation, she took aim and threw her boot at Danny's head. And watched as it fell short.

"Darn it!" she hissed angrily. She switched arms to yank off the other boot.

"What are you doing?" Snotlout asked, voice still filled with panic.

"I'm trying to wake Danny!" The girl let the other boot fly. It missed again. Now she was scared _and_ barefoot on a dragon with a smelly Viking while Danny snoozed on, unknowingly dragging others to their doom. Not to mention her now lost boots were on their way to the bottom of the ocean probably over a thousand years before they were made.

"Good job! It didn't work!" yelled Snotlout as he pulled Hookfang up and out of the path of the others, "any other bright ideas?"

"Shut up! I'm thinking!" And she was. The girl wracked her brains trying to come up with other possibilities, as far-fetched as they might be. She looked at the deteriorating formation of dragons and noticed something. They were keeping as much distance between each other as they could, trying not to knock into each other's wings. It left a giant opening in the middle, right over Danny. Sam felt her stomach drop as she realized what she was about to do.

"Go above them, right in the middle!" she pointed furiously to where she needed to be, and the Viking redirected their path. When they were at the right place, she ordered him to keep Hookfang steady. A simple task, though it clearly made no sense to the stocky Viking.

"Okay, now what?" Snotlout glanced over his shoulder again, to see her concentrating on the dragon directly below them.

"Wish me luck!" Before the Viking could respond, Sam jumped. The girl forced herself to keep her eyes open as she plummeted through the air. Time seemed to slow down as free-fall induced adrenaline coursed through her veins.

* * *

Danny was having a nice dream. He was dressed in his swim trunks relaxing in a hammock on a sunny beach somewhere tropical. The sound of the ocean breaking on the shore was like music to his ears. He was comfortable and pleasantly warm. A refreshing breeze played across his skin, rustling his black hair and making him smile. No school…No ghosts…No ghost _hunters_ … He rolled over to let the blazing sun warm his back and sighed in contentment. He let his arms dangle over the edge of the hammock. Only one thing could improve the perfection he was in. As the thought crossed his mind, a feminine figure came into his view. He smiled as her blurred features began to come into focus.

Then something fell on his back. Danny frowned, and the dream began to fade. He mentally tried to grasp it. He could hear her voice calling his name. Her voice. …Sam's voice? Sam?!

"Danny, time to wake up!" she yelled. Danny heard the panic running through her voice, and the world came back to him in a rush. He was stuck as a dragon and was tied into a harness, being carried across who knew how many miles of ocean. He'd fallen asleep! They were all falling! Suddenly, he was wide awake.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" teased Sam's voice, "time to lighten up, don't you think?!" It was a very blunt hint, one that Danny was able to grasp instantly. With barely another thought, he forced his sense of gravity to loosen its hold on him. As he felt himself begin to float, he looked up and saw the struggling dragons begin to steady. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. How long had he been out? Guilt tugged at him at the very fact that he had let himself doze off. He glanced around to look for Hookfang and nearly panicked when he saw only one rider. His eyes darted toward the water, searching for his friend.

"Goth One to Clueless One," chimed her voice, somehow right behind him, "I'm back here." Relief flooded through him as he turned his head to see her there, sprawled out on his back between his wings, clinging to the ropes that had been tied around him. His eyes widened as he suddenly found himself all too aware of her presence and forced himself to look forward again and concentrate on his own gravity.

"You okay down there?" Hiccup called down to them.

"Yeah, I'm fine, and so is Danny!" replied Sam. The dragon could feel every sharp poke and prod of her bony limbs as she crept forward and shifted into a sitting position on his shoulders. It was very distracting.

"Are you insane?!" came Astrid's voice, followed quickly by Ruffnut and Tuffnut declaring she was now worthy of their friendship and should join in their devotion to Loki. Fishlegs was trying to figure out how the sudden weight change was even possible and Snotlout seemed to think the idea to wake Danny had been his in the first place. The others clearly knew otherwise.

"Sam?" Hiccup called out over the rapid chatter of the other Vikings, "if you can climb the ropes, we can get you back over to Hookfang."

"You know what?" she yelled back with a smile, "I think I'm good. I'll stay here and keep Danny awake."

Danny swallowed hard. He knew her tactics for keeping people awake, but he was pretty sure she wouldn't need to use them. Part of his mind had decided to remind him that his best friend was, in fact, a pretty girl—a pretty girl who was sitting on his shoulders. Another part of his mind was also trying to kick him and remind him that this girl was off-limits because she was his best friend. The thoughts kept chasing each other around his brain. It wasn't the first time he'd found himself in that cycle of thought. No, she wouldn't be needing to use her tactics. His racing mind was definitely not going to let him nod off again anytime soon.

Several hours more had passed. Sam had convinced Danny to reduce his floating gradually to conserve his energy, "just in case". It meant a harder flight for the dragons carrying him, so Hookfang had to fill in here and there. The careful trade-off of ropes was interesting to watch and Danny had had to increase his power output once or twice when they nearly dropped him. They lost the favor of the wind as the sun went down, as well. All in all, the remainder of the flight hadn't been nearly as smooth as the start.

As the group progressed, Danny managed to get his mind off its internal debate over Sam being a pretty girl versus a best friend he could not afford to lose. Neither side had won, but he was okay with that, so long as he wasn't thinking about it anymore. At some point, the dragon realized that the girl was barefoot. He was pretty sure she had been wearing her favorite footwear, but could not, for the life of him, fathom why the boots were no longer on her feet. He also noted that her feet were not the most pleasant smelling things on the planet. It was probably because of the boots. She would never hear it from him, though. He was certain he would become an instant victim of horrendous violence, even if she did often proclaim herself to be against such actions.

The thought occurred to him that when she had moved to his shoulders, he hadn't felt the signature kick he knew to accompany the steel-toed shoes. As he recognized the cycle of thought emerging once again, he fought to distract himself with other things. He cast his eyes about, trying to figure out something to think about. As he looked up, he realized he had an amazing view of the night sky, blocked only by the dragons above him. Astronomy had always been his favorite subject.

Danny stared at the stars, admiring how numerous they appeared without the light pollution of the city. They cloudless weather would make it simple to figure out their position. It would have been a lot easier if he actually knew for certain what time of year it was. He hummed in frustration. The dragon knew the stars like the back of his hand. Or claws, he supposed, though he really hadn't become very familiar with his new scaly appendages yet. However, his knowledge was useless if he didn't know _when_ he was. Maybe Sam knew, but he couldn't exactly ask right that moment. He felt a sharp jab at his neck and turned his head to frown at his passenger. The girl, clearly unable to see anything more than the blue eyes sitting among his inky scales, pointed forward to a growing land mass he hadn't noticed before.

The creature heaved a sigh of relief. He was ready to be out of the harness and back on solid ground. The ropes had started to pinch and chafe around his limbs, and, in spite of his efforts to conserve energy, the floating had done a number on his energy reserves. He was looking forward to lying down and more or less passing out, hopefully for several hours.

"Okay guys," Danny heard Hiccup cry out, "brace yourselves! Smidvarg should be able to see us any minute now!" He looked up toward the Viking in confusion. The expression he saw was full of seriousness. The man's green eyes turned toward Danny and his passenger.

"Sam, you might want to grab the ropes. Danny might…I mean…" Hiccup paused a moment and redirected his words toward the creature. "This might freak you out a bit. There's going to be a very large swarm of little dragons soon, and they might get curious. Try not to panic, okay?" Danny looked back and forth between the lanky Viking and the island a few times. Taking a deep breath, his eyes landed on the man once more and he nodded hesitantly. He saw a few heads turn toward Hiccup out of the corner of his eye, but the angle made it difficult to make out what expressions the Vikings wore.

As the four Vikings above him braced themselves upon their saddles, Danny felt Sam scoot back to sit between his wings and grip at the harness tightly. He forced himself not to be insulted by her lacking trust in his ability to remain calm. If he were to be honest with himself, he didn't exactly trust himself in the matter either.

The dragon shook his musings from his head, though. He needed to focus. Danny frowned, trying to mentally prepare himself. He needed to keep himself partly floating while everything happened. They were too close to their destination for him to accidentally drag them down into the ocean on top of whatever they were expecting.

Tense minutes passed as they drew closer to the island. Danny could tell it was much larger than where he and Sam had crash-landed. As he made the mental observation, he saw something. Rising from the island was what appeared to be an absolutely massive black monster rising into the moonlight, with a brilliant white eye looking straight at them. Danny's ears flattened against his head. His muscles tensed and he fought back the growl that threatened to escape his throat. He would not lose control, he told himself. He struggled to concentrate on his breathing and his floating. His eyes closed tightly, trying to keep everything else out.

"Oh, Thor…" muttered Hiccup from above him, "not good…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, so...It looks like at the end of the story, I'll probably have a few scenes re-written from different points of view, just for funsies. There's been a request for Danny's perspective during the whole harness ordeal, which I definitely want to do. If a certain scene pops up that you'd like to read another angle on, let me know, and I'll add it to the list of possible extras.

So yeah... No, I won't be adding any actual romance. I'm just wanting to include some of the little awkward interactions between Danny and Sam.

ANYWUT. I'm excited for the next two chapters. :D I've been looking forward to these coming scenes since I decided I want to do them. x3 Hopefully I'll be able to get them out to you quickly.

As always, thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

"Okay. I'll bite," Sam said anxiously, "what the heck is _that_?"

"That's the Night Terror swarm," Hiccup hurriedly explained, "they fly in formation to scare off larger dragons." He frowned. With enough familiar creatures, they wouldn't find a new addition to the pack to be a threat. He signaled for the group to stop. With three of their dragons bogged down, it would be foolish to get too close while the flock was riled up.

"They shouldn't be doing that," informed Fishlegs with a slight squeak, "they know us."

"I know. Something's got them spooked…" observed Hiccup thoughtfully, "Snotlout, Fishlegs, you better go ahead. See if you can figure out what's going on." As the two left, he looked down to check on Danny and Sam. He could barely see the dragon through the dark, aside from the brilliant white scales trailing down his back. The girl, however, was pale enough to be clearly visible in the moonlight. She seemed to be scowling, though he couldn't quite be sure.

"How are you two holding up down there?" the Viking called to them.

"We're alright," replied Sam, "but Danny's getting a little twitchy." Hiccup heard the dragon snort nervously. It seemed like an agreement to what his rider had said. The Viking blinked in dumbfoundment. He had been expecting a noise of objection; the creature seemed to like objecting to anything that made him sound weak. He looked over at Astrid. The woman set her jaw as she returned his gaze. If things were going to get rough, she was ready.

"Why don't they ever make a Zippleback shape?" muttered Tuffnut grumpily, "have they no appreciation for true greatness?" Hiccup glared back at the twins as Ruffnut opened her mouth to reply.

"Guys, now is not the time for that!" the man hissed at the pair.

"It's the perfect time for it!" replied Ruffnut vehemently, "they're making shapes, and they still haven't paid homage to Barf _or_ Belch!"

"They're the same dr—You know what? You can complain about it after we find out what's got them freaked out and flying in formation in the first place!" barked Hiccup, his green eyes hardened into an annoyed glare at the twins. Of all the things they could think of to be worried about, it was which form the Night Terrors thought was most threatening? He bit his tongue, holding back the harsh words that threatened to spill out of his mouth. It wasn't the time for that either, not that yelling at them ever actually did any good.

"Hiccup!" called Astrid, distracting him from his stewing temper, "they're coming back!" The leader of the group looked toward the island to see two winged shapes against the night sky gradually approaching. The swarm briefly broke up as they passed by, but quickly regained its formation and stubbornly stayed put. It was unusual. Normally the flock would follow after the friendly dragons when that happened, or feign an attack on anything else.

"Okay, even weirder," Hiccup mumbled to himself, "it's almost like they're scared to get too far away…" He looked over the darkened land mass and realized something. The flock wasn't flying over its normal perch. In fact, except for their elevation, they had barely changed position at all.

"Astrid," he called over to the woman, "notice anything weird about where they're flying?"

She squinted, "I don't see…Wait… That's not where their perch is." Her eyes widened as she looked at Hiccup for confirmation.

"Definitely not," he shook his head, "they're not coming out here, either. I thought they would have at least started following friendlies by now…"

"Hiccup? Astrid?" chirped Sam's worried voice. The two had nearly forgotten her and her dragon.

"I'm sure this particular spot above the ocean is great and all, but if that swarm thing isn't going to attack, could we get to land before Danny's nerves end up completely fried?"

Hiccup thought a moment and looked down. Danny still had his eyes squeezed shut to keep himself from looking at the flock's formation. The dragons carrying the creature were getting tired and needed to land. If there were an unseen danger on the island, though, they could find themselves walking straight into a trap. Then again, if their cargo were to snap, they could all find themselves in an even worse position. Hiccup bit his lip as his mind raced to sort the pros and cons. Finally, one choice won out. Uneasily he motioned for his companions to start moving. They needed to get out of the air.

The group continued nervously on their way, eyes carefully scanning the shoreline and the night sky, which suddenly seemed eerily calm. The progress was slow until Fishlegs and Snotlout rejoined them. Both looked anxious, but unharmed.

"What did you see?" asked Hiccup apprehensively. He only spared them a glance, opting, instead, to keep watch of their surroundings.

"Not a thing," replied Snotlout, almost in a whisper. The stout Viking straightened his helmet needlessly. He was jittery and nervous, though Hiccup knew he would deny it later.

"It's weird," Fishlegs quietly continued for him, just as nervous, "nothing looks off. There's no boats, no signs of other dragons, nothing! It's just...It's way too quiet and it just _feels_ wrong… Like it's suddenly haunted or something." A sharp intake of breath rang out below the Vikings. The group looked down at Sam.

The girl clamped her mouth shut and pointedly avoided their gazes. The dragon she was perched on, though, had opened his eyes and looked up as though waiting for information. The reflective blue eyes were suddenly devoid of anxiety and were more steady than Hiccup had seen them yet.

Hiccup frowned and shook his head. It was a strange reaction to Fishlegs' description. Perhaps they had a fascination with ghosts. The Vikings had heard rumors of hauntings before, and it had turned out to be dragons. While Hiccup was beginning to believe ghosts didn't exist, he knew that Fishlegs was too terrified of the possibility to even joke about them.

"Probably a couple of Smothering Smokebreaths…" he suggested turning his attention back to his large friend, but Fishlegs shook his head.

"There's no smoke either. I looked," the large blonde man was becoming more uneasy, "I'm pretty sure they would have caused some damage by now, too, but I didn't see any."

Hiccup's frown deepened. He studied the shadowy formation that loomed ever nearer as they approached the island.

"What are they flying over?" he asked. Perhaps they were holding position to show them something.

"It's the forest clearing," replied Snotlout, "the one with the Odin's Rose growing all over the place. Didn't see anything there, either." Several disbelieving looks were shot in his direction. No one expected him to notice, let alone _remember_ a detail like that.

"What? They smell nice!" the muscled Viking defended himself with a disgruntled shrug. The others shook their heads and returned turned to look at the island once again, though Hiccup looked down at their cargo when he realized he could hear a faint whispering. Sam was talking to her dragon again, though this time it seemed she was asking him something, to which the creature shook his head. Hiccup scowled and trained his eyes on the island once more. The group was already nervous, he was getting increasingly tense, and he did not need those two being creepy on top of it.

"Okay. Soon as we land, we untie our dragons," Hiccup instructed, "Toothless and I will go see if we can calm down the Night Terrors. Snotlout, you stand watch. Fishlegs, I want you to help Sam untie Danny, but keep Meatlug saddled so you can be ready just in case. Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you all take your dragons to the stable and let them get some rest, but keep your eyes open until I get back." His crew agreed to their tasks quickly. Satisfied that they understood their roles, he glanced over at the swarm once more. The man was determined to find whatever had frightened the small dragons.

* * *

After what felt like a lifetime, the troupe was finally over solid earth once more, though Danny hardly noticed. He'd found his eyes dragged back to the Night Terror swarm. He fought to focus on his gravity, to ignore the tension worming its way through his muscles, but it was a losing battle. The growl he'd been holding back finally escaped as they neared some sort of landing pad. The creature vaguely heard Hiccup bark an order as he struggled to keep his wings clamped to his sides.

As his feet touched stone, he tensed. He wanted to rush at the form that seemed so threatening, to attack, to defend what was his. The dragon fought the instincts that screamed at him to move, to fight, to run, to do anything but stay where he struggled to keep his feet planted. His limbs all demanded motion. His mind was begging him to close his eyes and look away, but he couldn't. Another yell rang in his ears, and suddenly, his view was blocked.

With the threat removed from his vision, the fog in Danny's head began to dissipate. He blinked hard, trying to get his eyes to take in his surroundings once more. As he looked around, he discovered a dome of sorts overhead. Torches had been lit, providing illumination for those within. Four Vikings stood a little way off, staring at him in shock. Their dragons were at their sides, eyeing him warily, wondering if he was about to become a danger to them. His ears drooped and he lowered his head sheepishly. Apparently it was an acceptable apology to the dragons. The creatures relaxed and turned their attention to their riders.

Though his mind still swam, Danny began to recognize other sensations. He felt his gravity at full force and wondered vaguely when that had happened. His limbs began to ache from his fight against them, and the nerves beneath his scales decided to vengefully remind him of the pinching ropes. Along with that, though, he suddenly realized that a very important weight was absent from his back, his eyes widened in fear and he nearly panicked before he realized something was wrapped around the base of his neck. As that something squeezed a little tighter, he realized it was a small pair of slender arms. With a sigh, he relaxed and gently leaned into the hug.

"You did alright, Danny," he heard Sam say near his throat. He smiled. Her brief words told Danny everything he needed to know. He'd managed to control himself. The dragon had held onto his weightlessness long enough. His wings hadn't flared out and he hadn't let the unfamiliar and surprisingly powerful instincts win. No one had gotten hurt. Most importantly, Sam was safe.

As the girl let go and stepped back, he realized his limbs were trembling. Giving in to the sudden weakness and exhaustion he felt, he allowed himself to topple over. Within seconds, he began to snore.

* * *

"You know, it's probably a good thing he passed out like that," Sam told Fishlegs as they worked together on untying the knots of the makeshift harness. The large Viking nodded in fervent agreement. Hiccup hadn't returned yet and Snotlout was outside the dome, hopefully still doing what he had been told. The others had long since gone to the stables. Sam was curious, but she needed to take care of Danny first.

"So, what kind of dragon is he, anyway?" asked Fishlegs. Sam grimaced. Of course he would ask questions about Danny. He was probably obsessed with dragons. Why wouldn't he ask questions?

"I don't exactly know," Sam said truthfully, "we don't have a whole lot of dragons back where we're from." Or any, really, her mind corrected. The only dragons she'd dealt with before were ghost dragons, but there was no way she was explaining that.

"Oh…Right…" Fishlegs thought a moment as he skillfully untied another knot on Danny's harness, "well… We've been going around exploring. Hiccup has this book he's been working on, and we're trying to find and write about all the dragons in the world." An enthusiastic grin spread across his face. Sam forced herself to smile back. She could already tell she was about to get a lot more information about dragons than she ever wanted.

"See, when we find a new dragon, we try to see what it's capable of, so we can name it and classify it for the book…" As the pair continued to untie knots, the large blonde man dove into an extensive explanation of the classes and told her stories of the various creatures they had encountered. Sam tried to pay attention. She tried very hard. But she'd had so much practice drowning out Danny's father blathering on about ghosts, that she accidently fell into the old habit. She was pulled out of her stupor when she suddenly realized she'd been asked a question. With a clueless blink, she stared at the Viking. She frowned, trying to feign thoughtfulness.

"Come on, you've got to tell me what he's capable of!" begged Fishlegs as he began to coil up the ropes that had fallen to the ground. Sam hadn't fully noticed they'd finished until she realized that her hands had been free and absently stroking the back of the dragon's neck for a couple of minutes. Mortified at herself, she quickly removed her hands and shoved them in her pockets before answering the Viking.

"No can do," Sam replied, though her attempt at a nonchalant tone was a complete failure, "he's one of a kind, and I'd rather keep his skills a secret." The Viking frowned. As the girl watched him start to think, Sam mentally kicked herself. Her stories had crossed again. She hoped he hadn't caught the slip. He was opening his mouth to speak again when Hiccup entered, followed closely by the rest of the Vikings. The only explanation Sam could think of was that he had gone to the stables first to let Toothless rest.

"You were right, Fishlegs. Nothing. Nada. Zilch." Hiccup released a slow breath of frustration. "The Night Terrors finally went back to their roost but…" The man's words faded as he caught sight of the sleeping, harness-free dragon.

"He pretty much passed out after the dome closed," Sam explained with a smirk, "I swear, the guy can sleep through almost anything." The Vikings exchanged looks and shrugged.

"Anyway," Hiccup began again, "the flock finally calmed down. Whatever had them spooked is gone now. There's not even a trace of it anywhere! Nothing's been disturbed and I can't find any sign of anything that would have lured them to the clearing. It's weird!" Sam watched as the Viking began to pace anxiously. The stone floor beneath them gave a sharp click with each step of the metal leg.

Sam yawned. She hadn't realized how tired she'd gotten until then. As the Vikings began to discuss the possibilities, and promptly shoot down each one, she sat down next to Danny's sleeping form and leaned against his gently rising ribs. The voices turned into a droning noise in her ears as the soft motion from her friend's breathing lulled her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay...Chapter is here, and Doom is sleepy. The notes this time are staying short because, frankly, I can't remember what I wanted to say. Next chapter is going to be a fun one. :D There are a few questions floating around that may or may not be answered in it. ;)

Anyway, if I made any glaring errors or if I phrased something in a way that makes absolutely no sense (especially at the end of the chapter), please please _please_ send me a PM and let me know so I can edit it. I may have missed something in my sleepy re-reading of it.

Also, shout out to my international readers! There are seriously a lot of you. o_o I feel the love!

As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!

 **Edit:** Okay, guys. I realized something while I was looking at things to get ready for the next chapter. The training ring with the dome has a _stone_ floor, not wood. x_x I fixed it here. I really shouldn't do my re-reading while so sleepy. Anywut...


	10. Chapter 10

The Vikings argued back and forth for nearly an hour, each with their own theory and each with a reason the other's theory could not be possible. As they continued, Hiccup fell quiet, gradually sinking deep into his thoughts. He looked over at the sleeping girl and dragon thoughtfully. His mind wandered back to their reaction at Fishlegs' frightened notion of a haunting and the oddity of it. It seemed to him that Sam believed in ghosts, though she definitely didn't seem the type. And Danny, well, it was unsettling how quickly he'd gone from a nervous mess to being incredibly focused and present. The man frowned and shook his head as the look in the dragon's eyes floated across his memories. The steady gaze had been downright eerie, even if it had been temporary.

Lost in thought, Hiccup continued to watch the strange, sleeping pair. He was certain there was no connection between them and what had happened with the Night Terrors, but their strong reaction to the possibility of a haunting had him thinking they might have seen something similar. The Viking would have to ask Sam… He shook his head and corrected his thought. He would have to ask _both_ of them in the morning. A small grin crossed Hiccup's face as Danny shifted in his sleep and pulled his wing over his human companion.

"Come on, guys," he said quietly to the group, still smiling. The Vikings paused in their insults and arguing, confused at the soft tone. Hiccup nodded toward Sam and Danny, then motioned for them to follow him out. One by one, they left the dome, though Fishlegs hesitated a moment longer, wishing he could get more information about the creature. Hissed insults passed between them as they walked until, eventually, they separated to their chosen sleeping locations.

The majority of the Vikings quickly drifted off to sleep, exhausted from the day. While the largest of the group was slower to nod off, both from fear of the possible ghost on their island and exhilaration at the morning's discovery, Hiccup lie awake a great deal longer. His mind continued to puzzle over the day's events and the group's strange, new companions. He tried to decipher what information he had, but each time he ran it through his head, he grew a little more frustrated. What was the missing piece? With a growl of irritation, he rolled over and forced his eyes shut. He continued to toss and turn, his mind churning over the same details repeatedly until, finally, sleep claimed him as well.

* * *

All too early, the sun rose, though no one chose to greet it. Everyone on Dragon's Edge slept on, recovering from the excitement of the previous night. Gradually, the occupants of the island began to stir, though a few stubbornly refused to acknowledge the new day. Among them was Danny, though wakefulness decided to dig its claws in and rip him from his slumber. He was disoriented and groggy, but his brain decided it had had enough rest.

He couldn't remember having fallen asleep on the floor, not that he could actually remember falling asleep in the first place, but he was oddly comfortable. Something small and warm was curled against his side and a soft noise thrummed gently somewhere very close by. Danny frowned, still refusing to open his eyes. His mind cast around to what could possibly be going on. They didn't have any pets, so it couldn't be an animal. Maybe he'd grabbed a hot water bottle. That had to be it. The sound, though…That was disconcerting. It didn't sound like any of his parents' ghost hunting inventions, and it definitely wasn't a computer fan; it sounded far too organic for either of those. The whispery hum also sounded nothing like any insect he'd ever heard. Begrudgingly, he raised his head and opened his eyes, only to find the sound had stopped.

Frowning, he looked around in confusion. He wasn't at home, that was for sure. As he continued to observe his surroundings, the previous day slowly came back to him. Danny grunted in dismay and dropped his head back down onto his front paws. He shut his eyes once more, hoping that if he fell asleep again, he would wake up at home to find the whole thing to have been a dream. The dragon thought for a moment and carefully pulled his wing tighter against the small warm thing. Whatever it was, it was nice. As he thought that, he discovered the strange hum had started again.

Danny's head shot up to search for the source, but just as before, it stopped before he could find where it was coming from. With a snort of irritation, he lowered his head once more to relax. The third time he heard it, though, it stopped short just as he realized what the noise was.

He was purring.

With a humiliated groan, he buried his face in his claws. Somehow, not only had accidentally gotten himself turned into a dragon, he'd managed to become one that _purred_. He desperately hoped Sam never found out.

"Oh good, you're awake," said a cheerful and vaguely familiar voice. What had that guy called himself? Danny raised his head to look over at the lanky, auburn-haired Viking and frowned in thought. Hiccup. That was his name. The man leaned out the narrow opening in the dome.

"Go ahead! Open it up!" Hiccup shouted. As he returned, the opening grew and sunlight flooded in, blinding Danny with its brilliance. The dragon shut his eyes, grimacing against the intruding brightness. Slowly, he opened one bright blue eye, braving the daylight and looking at his surroundings. The dome had opened completely, leaving a wooden arch overhead and several leathery panels neatly folded together on one end.

"Is Sam awake yet?" asked the Viking, startling Danny out of his observations. The dragon tilted his head in his confusion. He opened his mouth to ask a question, but remembered a little too late that he couldn't actually speak. Yet. As he cut off the reptilian noises that had spilled out of his mouth, he determined that he would learn to make his vocal cords work for him again. Hiccup watched him expectantly, but Danny didn't know what he was waiting for. So he shrugged. He hadn't seen his friend yet.

"You know," the man said, misunderstanding Danny's response, "that girl? She fell asleep right next to you. Did she get up already?" Hiccup pointed at his wing. It was the wing covering that nice warm whatever next to him. Panic filled Danny as his eyes opened wide with terrified understanding. He stared at the appendage as though it was about to leap up of its own volition and attempt to murder him violently. Underneath that wing slept Sam, a veritable ticking time bomb. She was very much not a morning person. If Danny moved his wing, he was sure the bright morning light would wake her. He could run and escape her wrath, but he wasn't sure of her position, and he didn't want her to wake up by hitting her head. That would make things worse. He couldn't use his ghostly abilities to get away, either. Not with Hiccup watching. There was no way to break free of the situation. Worse, Danny knew that once Sam woke up, she would probably touch his wing, and he wouldn't see it coming. He would freak out and drop her anyway. He was doomed!

His face fell into a look of absolute horror as another thought occurred to him. Sam was right there. He'd been purring. Danny wondered how long he'd been purring before he woke up and hoped the girl hadn't woken up during the night. Knowing his luck, though, she probably had. He would never hear the end of it. Dejectedly, he let his head fall, landing with a soft thump on the ground that jarred his teeth.

"I guess that's a no…" commented Hiccup after a moment of stunned silence, "I take it she wakes up grumpy?" Danny looked up at the man and raised an eyebrow. He tilted his head back and forth with a defeated smile and half a shrug. It was part of the problem, but he had no idea how to communicate the horrors of what awaited him when his friend woke up. Green eyes watched Danny's face, deep in contemplation. The man looked ready to make a suggestion when a loud yawn met their ears. Danny braced himself for what he was sure was coming.

"What the…?" came Sam's voice. It sounded like she had woken up disoriented, too. The dragon shuddered as the girl began to push against his leathery wing. He tried to raise the appendage slowly, he really did, but when she pushed at it again, he tore it away from her reach with a strangled yelp. The girl, however, yelled angrily as the bright light hit her face.

* * *

"Holy…! Freakin'…!" sputtered Sam as her hands flew to cover her stinging eyes. She muttered darkly, promising murder and unspeakable violence on whoever had stolen her precious darkness from her. She was about to bury her face into whatever it was she'd been leaning on, until she realized it was made of some kind of leather. The girl scowled and shoved away from it in disgust.

"Okay," said a placating, nasally, tenor voice, "there's no reason to threaten your dragon…" Sam's face twisted into confusion. She scowled and opened her eyes to barely more than a squint to see a strangely dressed man with auburn hair.

"My what?" she demanded grumpily. She fiercely began to rub the remaining sleep out of her eyes. Her mind tried to catch up with the situation fruitlessly and she grumbled venomously.

"Your…uh…dragon. Remember? Danny?" Hearing the name shocked her back to the present. Sam scrambled to her feet and looked around to find her friend behind her, slowly scooting away. Only then did she remember she'd fallen asleep leaning against him. Which meant that he was the leathery thing she'd pushed away from. And whatever it was that had been shielding her from the sunlight… Her eyes widened in comprehension.

"Oh…Danny, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" mumbled Sam with an embarrassed gesture toward his wing. The dragon gave her a small nod and a pained smile, which she returned hesitantly.

"You're probably hungry," interrupted the man Sam finally remembered was called Hiccup, "I sent Fishlegs to forage, but I kind of doubt he found much. We…don't really have much experience there." The man shrugged apologetically and began to pick up the ropes that Danny had been sleeping on. Sam recalled that she and Fishlegs had to leave them, unable to pull them out from underneath the weight her friend.

The girl sighed in response to the information Hiccup had given her. Feeding herself was going to be a problem, but she was sure she would manage. At least now they were somewhere Danny wouldn't starve. She was certain she would be able to make due. If worse came to worse, there was an alternative. A disgusting one, but it would keep her alive. She shuddered and hoped it didn't come to it.

"I'll be fine," the girl said, "after Danny gets something to eat, we need to go…uh…take a walk…?" Sam stumbled over her excuse and looked at the dragon. He seemed to be lost in thought, not that he could offer anything better, but an agreement would have been helpful. She rolled her eyes at the inattentive creature. "I'm sure I can find more while we're out." She put her hands on her hips, trying to look confident in what she said.

"That reminds me…" Hiccup turned and whistled sharply. Seconds later, a smaller dragon came barreling toward him, just barely stopping before running the Viking over.

"Toothless has been waiting all morning for you to wake up," he told Danny with a small laugh. The dragon scampered over to the larger creature. Sam smirked as she watched her friend hastily back away. He had an uneasy expression on his face as he watched the smaller beast circle him, looking him over. Seemingly satisfied, Toothless sat back on his haunches and started to gag. A horrified expression crossed the faces of both Sam and Danny as the smaller dragon coughed up a pile of whole fish.

"Uh…look, Danny!" Sam tried, and failed, to sound cheerful, "Toothless brought you breakfast!" Danny glanced at the regurgitated heap and then turned to the girl, clear pleading in his eyes. She shrugged at him helplessly. The expectant way Toothless watched him made it clear he was not getting out of eating what had been presented to him. The larger dragon's shoulder's slumped and his head drooped. Sam turned away, grimacing, and blocked the view with a hand. She knew it was a natural thing for a lot of creatures, but this was Danny. She found herself gagging at the thought of what he was having to do.

"I hope you don't mind my asking," started Hiccup, sounding very confused, "but…what do you normally feed him?" Sam cringed. How was she supposed to answer that? She was pretty sure the Viking had never heard of burgers, or really anything else Danny preferred to eat. A plaintive growl and the sound of a sickening slurp met the girl's ears. Bile rose in her throat with the knowledge of what was happening. She would have to find a way to make it up to him when they got home.

"To be honest, I'm not the one who normally feeds him," she explained hesitantly. With a particularly gross noise on the other side of her shielding hand, Sam started to feel herself turning green. She grimaced, trying not to heave. The Viking looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't he your dragon?" The look the man wore had turned to one of suspicion. Sam bit her lip. Hiccup hefted his coil of rope onto his shoulder and watched her, waiting for an answer. Finally coming up with something, she let her face sink into a frown.

"Danny doesn't belong to anyone but himself," she declared hotly, "he's my friend and an intelligent being who deserves his freedom!" Sam gestured wildly as she prepared to settle into a good rant, but another slurp dragged her attention back to Danny. She'd forgotten she was avoiding the sight of him having to eat. When her eyes landed on the blank look in his eyes as he tilted his head back to swallow a fish, she clamped her hands to her mouth and began to run, feeling as though she was about to vomit. Hiccup, startled, looked at the two dragons for a second before quickly chasing after her.

* * *

Danny had little memory of actually eating the fish. He knew it had happened, though. The salt and slime that seemed to coat his mouth was evidence enough, and the very idea of what had happened grossed him out. After returning to his senses and finding the pile completely gone and the humans no longer anywhere nearby, Toothless had begun to inspect him once again. At least, that's what it seemed like.

The smaller dragon circled around him again, focusing particularly on his wings. With a huff, he stopped and stood in front of Danny. Toothless stared at the larger creature as though to demand his attention. Slowly, the small black dragon opened its wings.

Danny blinked slowly. Toothless clearly wasn't threatening him, but the larger dragon couldn't figure out what was expected of him. He watched as the creature gave him a pointed look and deliberately opened his wings further. Danny blinked in confusion at the waiting beast. Hesitantly, he mirrored what the other creature was showing him. A huff of approval told him that this was the desired response.

As Toothless began to slowly move his wings, waiting for Danny to imitate the action, understanding dawned on the larger creature's mind. The dragon was trying to teach him to fly. He groaned inwardly. Sam had been right. Toothless _had_ adopted him.

* * *

A little over an hour later, Danny had been freed from the strange lessons by Hiccup calling for the smaller dragon. Toothless had hesitated before running off and the blue eyed creature sighed in relief. Several minutes later, Sam had rejoined him. When the girl looked at him, though, she shuddered. Danny gave her an apologetic look.

"No, Danny, it's not your fault," she said, "but I am never going to be able to _unsee_ that." The girl shuddered again. Danny lowered his head shamefully. When he heard his friend sigh heavily, he looked up again.

"They tried to give me some boots," Sam explained, sounding thoroughly offended, "you know what they were made of? They were made of fur, Danny. Fur! From formerly living creatures!" She crossed her arms angrily. Danny fought to keep himself from laughing. Only Sam could be insulted by a gesture of kindness. He looked at her bare feet. They were filthy and red with cold. He suspected they were probably sore, having never been exposed to such rough terrain. Danny was certain she'd had socks at some point, but suspected they'd followed her boots, wherever they were. Allowing himself a smirk, he jerked his head back a little in an offer to carry her.

"I'm not some princess that needs to be rescued," she spat, glaring at the dragon, "I'm perfectly capable of walking." Danny rolled his eyes and looked pointedly at her feet. Her eyes narrowed as he repeated his gesture of offering.

"Fine," she muttered. Danny lowered himself down to the ground and waited as Sam awkwardly climbed onto his shoulders. As soon as the girl settled into place, Danny slowly stood and began to walk. He focused on keeping his steps as steady as possible, not wanting his friend to accidentally fall off, or his mind to wander into the spiraling battle of thoughts from the night before.

After several minutes, they eventually came to a place that seemed isolated. Sam tried to climb off the moment they found it, but Danny growled warningly and kept walking until he found a spot that was less rocky. The girl had told him off again as her feet finally met the ground, but was grateful for the consideration nonetheless.

Freed of his grumpy passenger, Danny stretched. He reached out his legs and arched his spine. With a hum of relief, he even stretched out his wings. He hadn't realized how stiff they felt until he allowed them to extend to their full span for the first time. Sam raised her eyebrows at the unintentional display.

"Getting used to those?" she asked, nodding at the outstretched appendages. Danny blinked and looked at his wings. He nodded hesitantly. The exercise he'd gotten with Toothless had helped him get a feel for how they were supposed to work, but it still weirded him out to have anything touch them. He gave the wings a small flap and allowed himself a somewhat pleased smile. The motion felt smooth and far more natural than what he had done yesterday. The dragon folded his wings against himself carefully, remembering how he'd watched the other creature do the same. He was glad he'd payed attention to that. It was far more comfortable than how they'd sat previously.

"Okay," Sam's voice interrupted his musings, "time to run through the checklist." Danny turned to look at her and nodded. They had run through his abilities several times over back home. Though, back home they had another near-constant companion to help out. Danny frowned at the thought. With a small shake of his head, he refocused on the moment.

"First things first," the girl declared, "ghost mode." Sam watched him carefully. Danny knew that she would be keeping an eye out for any abnormality in his powers. Taking a deep breath, the dragon mentally reached toward his ghost half.

He'd tried to describe it to Sam and his other best friend before, but words had been unable to do it justice. It was like a silent buzz or hum that constantly vibrated softly in his chest. It was a coolness that seemed to simultaneously demand freedom and concealment. The sensation was something that he could neither deny nor acknowledge, seeming to both exist and not exist at the same time. As his mind grasped on the feeling, he felt the familiar tingle build and wash over him.

"Well, that still works," Sam informed him with a smirk. Danny looked himself over. His once coal black scales had turned a shockingly bright white. He craned his neck to see his back to see the mottled white that had once traveled down his spine had become specks of black. He was certain his eyes had become a luminescent acid green, too. Sam hadn't said otherwise, so he assumed the transformation was as close to normal as could be expected. He nodded in satisfaction and waited for the girl to list the next item.

"Let's check invisibility," she suggested. It was an easy challenge. With barely a thought, Danny winked out of the visible spectrum.

"Invisibility, check. Flight?" Danny reappeared. Again, with barely a thought, he began to float. He kept his wings tucked firmly against himself to make the source of flight clear. The dragon frowned, though. He hadn't noticed the previous night, but keeping his wings tucked in while he was in the air felt wrong. Granted, everything had just felt wrong the night before. With a grumpy snort, he landed.

"Flight, check…Something wrong with it?" asked Sam. Danny shook his head hesitantly, but stretched out his wings in attempt to illustrate the problem. She nodded. Somehow she had understood what he was trying to tell her. He frowned and looked at his friend. He concentrated a thought and tried to push it in her direction.

The girl rolled her eyes, "no, Danny, you still don't have telepathy." The dragon huffed and sheepishly looked away. That was a power he was hoping he would have, but apparently he hadn't developed it. He still hoped, though. With another huff, he returned his attention to Sam.

"Try intangibility." With a nod, he willed his state of solid matter away. Spreading his wings slightly, he dove into the ground, disappearing from sight. He reappeared several yards away and let trees pass through him as he jogged back.

"Okay, Danny. Intangibility, check." Sam didn't get to suggest the next item on the list though. Danny had been so focused, he never heard the light footsteps just a short way off. A sharp gasp rang out through the trees and the two looked on in horror to see the quickly retreating form of Snotlout.

* * *

 **A/N:** GUYS. o_o This chapter ended up a lot longer than I planned on, and I still didn't get everything in here that I wanted to. There's a conversation I wanted to throw in that just didn't quite fit anywhere. It'll happen next chapter, I promise. Anyway... A few questions answered... A few more raised... And other stuff. And now Snotlout has seen something he doesn't really understand. BWAHAHAHAHA!

Also, I realized I made a small error in the last chapter, but enough of one that I wanted to fix it. So, now it's fixed. Huzzah!

Once again, thanks for reading! I hope you're all still enjoying the story as much as I am. :D


	11. Chapter 11

"YOU!" Snotlout burst into the small wooden building. Madness danced in his eyes as he glared accusingly at Ruffnut and Tuffnut. He stormed up to the twins, each footfall landing heavier than the next.

"I don't know how, but you've summoned Loki himself!" the muscular Viking shouted, jabbing his index fingers at their shoulders viciously. Five sets of eyes stared at him blankly. The twins, though, shortly broke out in excited grins.

"I didn't even know that was possible…" said Ruffnut, her raspy voice filled with awe.

"I didn't either..." agreed Tuffnut, turning to his twin, "I wish I knew how we did it!"

"Where is he?" the two demanded with perfectly synchronized excitement. Their eyes watched Snotlout expectantly, but the shorter man sputtered in shock at their reaction and stepped back. He had expected an admission of guilt, an apology, or at least a valid reason to punch someone.

"Hold on," interrupted Hiccup, "I'm pretty sure that's not possible. I mean, what would _Loki_ want with Dragon's Edge?" He raised his eyebrow at the three. The twins looked at each other, considering the question seriously. Snotlout frowned and rolled his eyes, his arms crossed in annoyance. Of course Hiccup would have to start talking _logic._ The shorter man didn't see the point in finding logic where the trickster was concerned. There was a _reason_ Loki was called the trickster, and that reason had nothing to do with stupid logic.

"I'm pretty sure no one's ever done it," Fishlegs offered thoughtfully, "I could have overlooked something when I was reading, but I've never heard of it happening."

"Well, maybe not Loki, but close enough," Snotlout said with an irritable huff. He scowled fiercely at no one in particular. It pained him to admit that he might have had a slightly exaggerated reaction, but it didn't change how serious he felt the situation was.

"Right," Astrid said with a roll of her eyes, "weren't you supposed to get Sam and Dann—"

"Spawn of _Loki_!" Snotlout's interruption was deliberate and angry. Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Okay, so they did something weird again," the auburn-haired Viking concluded with a sigh, "they've been doing weird things since I ran into them."

"Not like this!" The shorter man's arms flared out to gesture toward the vague direction of where he had gone. Fishlegs' eyes went wide and he leaned forward attentively, waiting for the witness of the dragon's abilities. Snotlout groaned in irritation. This wasn't some dragon! This was…well…He wasn't sure what it was, but it definitely wasn't something for the book.

"He…He…" Snotlout struggled for the words to explain, "I was on my way to get them, right?" Astrid, Hiccup, and Fishlegs nodded. With the confirmation of their attention, he took a breath and continued.

"I was on my way, and I followed them into the forest, and I see this… this white… thing…" the man paused a moment, "I thought I was seeing things, but, I got a little closer, and it was a dragon." All eyes were locked on him, wide in surprise. They weren't expecting another dragon to have appeared on the island. Before he could continue his tale, the largest of the group decided it was time to ask a question.

"Was it a Screaming Death? Or a Snow wraith?" asked Fishlegs worriedly. Hiccup frowned, but didn't have to wait long for the expected answer.

"Of course not," sneered Snotlout, "it was that Danny dragon! _And!_ I know it was him because Sam was right there and called him that!"

"Snotlout, that just means he can change colors," pointed out Hiccup sensibly, "it doesn't make him the spawn of Loki."

"I know that," hissed the shorter man, his large arms flailing, "but what about him walking through trees?" Several confused stares were directed toward him, not understanding the impact of what he had just told them.

"Uh…if they were in the forest, they would kind of _have_ to walk through the trees to get anywhere," supplied Astrid, as though it were obvious.

"Not what I mean!" Snotlout ran his hands through the brown hair sticking out from beneath his horned helmet in angry frustration. "He didn't go 'through the trees'…" his tone of voice was mocking as he moved his hand in an exaggerated squiggle in attempt to illustrate a normal path in the woods, "he went _through_ the trees!" The motion was changed to one of a smooth line. "And really, I mean _through_ them, like they weren't even there!" While Hiccup frowned at the information, Astrid and Fishlegs stared at Snotlout in disbelief. The twins' faces had twisted into wicked delight.

"Sister of mine," said Tuffnut with exaggerated formality.

"Yes, brother of mine?" replied Ruffnut, her own voice reflecting the tone.

"Let us go forth and pay our respects to this wondrous being!" The male twin straightened his normally hunched posture and pointed out the door. His sister gleefully prepared to follow, but Hiccup rushed over and grabbed the back of their collars.

"Hold on! I'm sure there's a logical explanation…" Hiccup suddenly found his words cut off with a cry from Snotlout.

"SPAWN OF LOKI!" The shorter Viking, eyes wide with terror, pointed frantically at the doorway where a young, black-haired girl peeked in.

"Oh crud…" Her violet eyes widened in horror and she fled. The twins, absolutely thrilled, escaped Hiccup's grasp and quickly chased after.

* * *

"Danny!" yelled Sam as she raced across the wooden planking to where the black dragon waited, "I think we've got another Salem!" Blue eyes widened with frightened understanding as memories flashed through his mind. Sam had nearly been burned at the stake as a witch, and Danny had nearly met his end in his attempt to rescue her. The dragon anxiously crouched down, ready for his friend to scramble onto his shoulders once more. As he watched her draw nearer, though, two wiry figures with long blonde hair burst out of the house, chasing his friend wildly.

A growl ripped through Danny's throat as he burst forward. With all the speed he could muster on four legs, he ran to put himself between the twins and Sam. The beast's wings flared out as he roared at the humans who dared to pursue his friend. The two Vikings let out identical, high-pitched squeals of terror at the creature that suddenly cut off their path.

 _Mine,_ Danny's mind seemed to hiss at him. _Mine._ His sharp, glittering teeth snapped at the pair in fury. _MINE!_ No…Not his… A brief moment of human thought pushed him to fight back against the reptile he had become. Sam didn't belong to anyone, especially not him.

The dragon shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He could feel his senses abandoning him once again, and he feared what he might do. Slowly, Danny backed away, gently forcing Sam further down the planking. He continued to growl at the twins, only vaguely aware of the rest of the Vikings having exited the building. When he had enough distance to allow more reasonable thought, he lowered himself and waited for Sam to climb up. His eyes stayed fixed on the two who had chased the girl, and his throat continued to rumble angrily.

When Hiccup stepped forward between the two humans, Danny narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He remembered how the man had broken through to him before and suddenly found it hard to maintain the growl and the threatening stance. He didn't understand it. Danny couldn't comprehend what exactly that action had done or why. He felt part of him wanting to trust the man and allow him close, and it made him angry that he couldn't direct any anger toward that one Viking.

"It's okay…" Hiccup said, softly, his hand raising toward Danny as he had done before, "we're not going to hurt you…" The outstretched hand was mesmerizing. The dragon couldn't help staring at it. He couldn't resist his facial muscles relaxing as the hand grew nearer.

"Danny…" Sam's anxious voice cut through the growing haze in his mind. He shook his head and growled fiercely at the Viking, who stumbled backward in shock. The man had been trying to do it again. Danny snarled and slowly widened the distance. He felt betrayed. The man knew dragons. He knew how to gain the trust of dragons through their instincts. Hiccup had that knowledge and had used it against him. He had been played like a violin.

"Come on!" hissed the girl. She was perched on his shoulders, ready for their escape. Danny lowered his wings and turned. With one last, hurt look toward the humans that they had hoped would be their ticket home, the dragon left.

* * *

Six stunned Vikings stared after the retreating beast. They could hardly believe what had just happened. They had been so certain that Danny had begun to see them as his pack like the other dragons had. And what did the girl mean, "another Salem"? Hiccup's mind was frozen on the look of utter betrayal that had crossed the creature's face. He couldn't comprehend where such an emotion had come from.

"So…are we chasing after them?" asked Tuffnut, who was promptly slapped upside the head by Astrid. An argument quickly followed, with much yelling and shoving, but Hiccup heard none of it. He was soon dragged out of his thoughts when Toothless appeared, racing up to him and looking around frantically. The Viking's eyes widened. His dragon had heard the commotion and was looking for his new pack-mate. His little brother, Hiccup remembered the girl saying. He frowned at the thought. How did everything go downhill so fast? Snotlout's reaction to seeing Sam had terrified her. From her response, it seemed obvious that something similar had happened to her and Danny in the past.

"Toothless," Hiccup called to the dragon, "come here, bud." He had an idea. He hoped it would be enough to convince them to come back, but if it wasn't, at least they would be able to take care of themselves. He patted his leg to gesture for Toothless to follow, leaving the rest of the squabbling group behind as he entered the small building once again.

Hiccup moved quickly while Toothless wandered the room, peeking behind and under everything, as though expecting Danny to be hiding somewhere. A disappointed whine drifted to the man's ears as he continued to gather supplies and wrap them in a wool blanket. The creature approached Hiccup and worriedly nudged him with his snout. After a comforting pat on the creature's head, the man hefted up the bundle and led the way back outside. Quickly, he mounted Toothless' saddle, and the two took off, into the sky, to find the frightened, mysterious pair.

* * *

"This is just great," muttered Sam crossly after several minutes of silent stewing, "we're stuck on an island in the middle of who knows where with superstitious Vikings that want to kill us because they think we're connected to Loki." The dragon below her hummed dejectedly as he continued to walk deeper into the forest. The girl's shoulders slumped as she sighed. She knew her friend too well. He was probably beating himself up over the situation.

"Danny, it wasn't your fault," she said, trying to sound comforting in spite of her temper, "we need to know what still works. You know…In case there really _were_ ghosts. And, by the way, we still need to finish the checklist." The dragon huffed grumpily. Sam scowled, her mind working to figure out which part he would have found most annoying. She was unable to see his face from her perch on his shoulder, reducing her ability to comprehend his attempts at communication. With an irritated huff of her own, she took a guess.

"Okay, I get that you're frustrated and all," she started, "but it's either get it figured out or be surprised later when things don't work how you expect them to." The dragon paused and sighed. He craned his neck around to give her a doubtful, sidelong glance. The girl raised an eyebrow at him. Sam was pretty sure he was being over-confident in his abilities. Those few tests they had already done seemed to make him think everything was normal.

"You couldn't even _walk_ when we got here," she pointed out, "and don't make me remind you about the times your powers did something you didn't plan on, oh pantsless wonder." The dragon's eyes nearly burst out of his skull. He stared at his friend in horror for a moment before looking at his body, then back at her. In a blink, he'd turned invisible, leaving Sam appearing to float in the air. Sam brought her hands to her face in guilty mortification. She had forgotten that Danny was, technically, not wearing anything. She had accidentally brought it to his attention and embarrassed him. The girl couldn't have known her friend hadn't fully realized it until that moment.

"I am _so_ sorry," she told him earnestly, "I wasn't thinking..." She heard the dragon whine in pitiful discomfort. The girl carefully slid off the dragon's shoulders, wincing as her feet landed on the debris of the forest floor.

"If it helps…you're…you know…a reptile…I mean…" she was struggling to find delicate wording to help him feel better about the situation as she tried to point her eyes where she thought him to be, "reptiles can't be told apart like mammals… They…um… They can only really be told apart by colors and…stuff like that…" Delicate was never her strong point. Sam hoped Danny understood what she was trying to tell him. The invisible dragon whined questioningly.

"I promise, Danny," she said fervently in his general direction, "your scales cover _everything._ "

* * *

It took several minutes more to coax the embarrassed dragon back into visibility. When he re-appeared, he was on the other side of a few trees. Shamefaced, he hesitantly returned to her side, though neither seemed ready to continue the journey. That would require contact, and both of them were far too uncomfortable with what had happened to even consider the girl climbing back onto Danny's shoulders. Sam sat where she had stood and Danny lowered himself to sit on his haunches. They sat in silence for a while, waiting for the awkwardness between them to pass and half avoiding each others' gazes.

As they sat, Danny's ears twitched and he raised his head. Sam was about to ask what he had heard when Toothless bounded through the trees with a bundle clamped in his sharp, stubby teeth. The creature dropped it in front of Sam, then ran several frantic laps around the larger dragon trying to make sure every scale was where it belonged.

The girl picked up the bundle, confusion written all over her face. She untied the coarse material to find it was a blanket. Inside it, she found some rope, a piece of flint, a knife, a water skin, and a piece of cured mutton, clearly a gift for Danny. Sam frowned. At first she was disgusted at the container clearly made of leather, but she knew there weren't a whole lot of options available for carrying liquid. The other items would be incredibly useful for starting a fire and gathering other needed supplies, though. Then her thoughts turned in another direction and her eyebrows drew closer together. Why would the smaller creature be sent so far with all this? She didn't think Hiccup would expect him to deliver something so precisely without him. Unless…

Sam's frown turned to a scowl as she raised her eyes to look in the direction Toothless had come from. There, through the trees, just barely visible, was Hiccup. The Viking sheepishly raised a hand in greeting, but made no move to approach. When Sam turned to inform Danny of their visitor, her eyes met a sight that nearly made her laugh in spite of everything. There he was, his head as high and as far back as his neck would allow, staring at Toothless in wide-eyed alarm. The smaller dragon had managed to stand himself up on his hind legs and bring his own, stubby face within inches of Danny's.

Sam forced the unexpected smirk off her face and cleared her throat to catch her friend's attention. It surprised her when Toothless dropped to all fours again to look at her. She gave a terribly fake cough to give herself a moment to overcome her stupor.

"Danny," she said, finally, pointing her thumb over her shoulder, "I think someone wants to talk."

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, so...There were a _lot_ of amazing comments left after last chapter. o_o Seriously. Amazing. Like, you guys have no idea how excited I was to read each one. I'm just sorry I didn't have much time at my computer to reply to some of them or, well, write faster, I suppose.

I don't have a whole lot to say, other than...well... I love you guys... *sniffle*

Next chapter may or may not have an info dump for the characters...If I don't realize another scene that has to happen first. Yeah... Anyway... Also, Snotlout not mentioning Danny glowing is completely intentional. I'll get to that in a couple of chapters. :3

As always, thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

Danny's gaze followed Sam's gesture into the forest. His eyes briefly widened in surprise before narrowing in suspicion when they landed on Hiccup. He was sure the Viking was up to something. What that something was, he had no idea. A sharp whistle from the man made the dragon wince and sent Toothless bounding eagerly away toward him. Hiccup greeted the smaller creature cheerfully, but made no move to either approach or leave.

Cautiously, Danny walked over to Sam. After another quick glance at the man, he gave Sam a meaningful look. She frowned back at him doubtfully, an expression that wordlessly asked if he was certain. The dragon nodded once and looked back at Hiccup. With a heavy sigh, the girl crossed her arms and spoke up.

"If you want to talk, then talk," she called out fiercely. In an afterthought, Danny bumped her with his elbow and looked pointedly at his front claws. It took her a moment to understand, but her voice rang out again the moment she did.

"No more of that hand thing, though. Danny doesn't like it." The larger black dragon shook his head vehemently to emphasize the girl's words. With a nod of agreement, Hiccup tentatively began to walk forward, the oblivious Toothless at his side. The man's face was etched with worry as he continued onward, his eyes glued to Danny. With each step, the larger creature grew more nervous.

"I'm…uh…I'm just going to sit right here," he said as he suddenly stopped and sat on the ground, seemingly unwilling to increase Danny's discomfort. His dragon, with a confused tilt of his head, laid himself down behind the man, ready for a nice, mid-day nap.

The girl and the larger dragon looked at each other, dumbfounded. Hiccup had just willingly taken a disadvantaged position. The intense gaze coming from the man's green eyes made it clear that it was an intentional move. Danny scowled and looked around, his ears swiveling in every direction to detect any sign or sound of a trap being prepared. He huffed nervously. He could neither see nor hear the other Vikings, but that didn't mean they weren't there. They hadn't seemed the sneaky type, but then, neither did some of the beings who had ambushed him before.

Danny shook his head, ridding himself of the memories. He looked at Sam and tilted his head toward the Viking. She nodded and looked at Hiccup. It was time for answers.

* * *

"Why are you here?" demanded Sam, a heated glare darkening her features. Danny might be willing to give him a chance to explain himself, but she would be paying close attention to anything that might prove him untrustworthy.

"I...came to apologize," the Viking started hesitantly. Taking a deep breath, he dove into his explanation. "Snotlout saw something and he jumped to conclusions. Then Ruffnut and Tuffnut got all excited, and…well… What I'm really trying to say is, I'm sorry my friends scared you. Both of you." He looked between the two, a mournful earnestness in his eyes.

Sam narrowed her eyes in suspicion. She hadn't really been expecting an apology. His motives were unclear. Danny hummed a questioning note beside her, but she ignored it.

"Are you sure you're not setting up an ambush? No plans to burn us at the stake or vanquish us?" she asked with biting accusation. Hiccup's eyes widened in horror.

"Burn you at the— _what_?!No! That's barbaric!" his face paled visibly in horror and he waved his hands in front of him in denial, "what do you think we are? _Monsters_?!" In shock, Sam's eyebrows shot up, and her crossed arms fell to her sides. She looked over at Danny to see him wearing a similar expression. His blue eyes met hers before they both turned back to the Viking, wearing matching frowns of confusion.

"So why was I being chased?" the girl demanded, her arms crossing in front of her once again. The Viking heaved a heavy sigh and ran his hands through his auburn hair. He looked at Toothless, seemingly searching for his words, but the dragon merely opened one eye and peeked up at him before settling back into his attempt to doze off. With another sigh, the man looked back at the pair before him.

"See…Snotlout thinks he saw Danny walking through a tree, so he started going off about how you two were the 'Spawn of Loki'. He doesn't do well with things he doesn't understand." began Hiccup. Sam noticed the larger dragon shift his weight with guilty unease and elbowed him. Unfortunately, the Viking noticed and frowned. The man's eyebrows drew together in confusion, but chose to continue his explanation instead of commenting on the interaction.

"Then there's the twins…" the Viking continued, "and, well, they have pretty much dedicated their lives to the Trickster, so I'm pretty sure they were about to either worship you or ask you to join them." He shrugged. Sam blinked, surprised once again. Suddenly, she burst out laughing. Hiccup tipped backward in his shock to land on Toothless. The smaller dragon, startled out of his nap, scrambled to his feet, causing the Viking to fall further and hit his head on the ground. Hiccup raised himself onto one elbow, one hand raising to the back of his head with a wince.

"Danny, you already have fans here!" laughed Sam. The larger dragon dropped to his belly and groaned in dismay. His black paws slid up to cover his eyes. The girl patted his shoulder in mock comfort.

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure none of them are going to try to marry you," she said with a smirk. Her violet eyes glittered with amusement as the dragon lifted his claws to offer a roll of his eyes and what sounded like a very sarcastic laugh.

"…People want to marry a dragon?" Hiccup asked, his eyebrow raised and his voice pitched up in disbelief. Sam and Danny abruptly froze and looked at him. The girl winced as his words sunk in. She'd slipped again.

"It's…a long story…" she couldn't meet his eyes. Danny scowled up at her and raised his head. She gave him an apologetic smile and was about to turn her eyes back to Hiccup, but the larger dragon slapped the ground with his claws. The girl frowned, not understanding until the creature began to scratch into the hard soil, still lying on his belly.

"Archaeology, Danny. Loosen it up, first," Sam suggested. They were already somewhere they didn't belong, and her boots would already be cause for a mystery to the archaeological community. They didn't need to add another. Danny snorted in annoyance at the girl's words, but clawed the soil into a thin layer of dust anyway. He then began to clumsily scratch out words. Sam frowned. The dragon's handwriting had never been the best, but at that moment it was nearly unreadable.

"What is he d—?" Hiccup began to pull himself onto his feet, but a nasty glare from Danny sent him back to sitting on the ground, his words quickly silenced. Toothless snorted grumpily at the larger dragon but returned to his spot behind his human, though this time, he kept his eyes on the other creature watchfully. Sam rolled her eyes at the scene and went back to trying to decipher what Danny had written.

"I can't read that," she complained with a sigh. His scratchings were a complete mess. With a frustrated grunt, the large creature smoothed out the dirt and wrote three words very slowly.

"Hand thing control?" Sam asked in confusion. Danny nodded and glared at Hiccup again. The girl turned her own scowl at the man to convey the message.

"He's really angry about that hand thing you did to him," she declared crossly, "he _really_ doesn't like being controlled." The Viking had the good grace to grimace at her words.

"I noticed," said Hiccup, a strange sadness in his voice, "and I'm sorry for that, too. I never meant to betray your trust." His words, heavy with sincerity, were directed to Danny. Sam turned to see the dragon's reaction. He was already writing in the soil again, though. His tongue poked out the side of his mouth as he concentrated on keeping the words legible. The girl rolled her eyes at him. She was certain he was getting more and more annoyed at being unable to speak for himself.

"…Is he…writing?" the Viking asked in amazement, "Danny can read and write?" It was the dragon's turn to wince. The creature grimaced and looked over at his friend. Sam sighed in exasperation.

"He's not exactly a _normal_ dragon," she said with a vague wave of her hand. She had hoped to get away with a minimal explanation, but, at the look on Hiccup's face, she knew it wouldn't work.

"Look, Fishlegs said you're making a book about dragons, right?" asked Sam. The Viking confirmed it with a nod.

"Danny can't be in your book. Besides, we don't know if there are others out there that look like him. If you put him in there, your information is going to be dead wrong," the girl continued. She rolled her eyes at the sound of Danny's amused snort.

"Wasn't joking, Danny," she warned. The dragon merely snickered and went back to scratching in the dirt. Sam watched the letters form and scowled at her friend. When he finished, he turned a calm look at her and raised an eyebrow. The girl crossed her arms and turned to the Viking, her face still contorted bitterly.

"For whatever reason, he forgives you. Probably as long as you promise to never do that hand thing to him again," she said. Danny nodded, acknowledging the term she produced, his face set in as neutral of an expression as his reptilian features would allow. The Viking readily agreed, and Sam continued on.

"Next thing…how safe are we around your crew?"

"What?" Hiccup's eyebrows drew together in concerned confusion.

"How safe are we around your crew?" Sam repeated, and began ticking things off on her fingers, "Danny's been mobbed by fanatics like those nut twins before. We've had people like Snot Face—"

"Snotlout," Hiccup corrected, halfheartedly.

"Whatever," Sam waved off the interruption, "point is, we both nearly got killed by people like him. Neither of us is really comfortable with Fishlegs trying to study Danny. And then there's…Astrid? Anyway, I can't even figure her out." Hiccup frowned and leaned forward in thought where he sat. The girl tapped her foot impatiently, waiting for the Viking's response.

Finally, after several seconds, the man bowed bowed his head and shook it slowly.

"I wish I could tell you you're perfectly safe with us, but I really don't know," he replied, looking up to see the pair, his face filled with concern, "they all mean well enough, but… I can't guarantee Snotlout won't freak out again, and I'm pretty sure you guys will be hounded by Ruffnut and Tuffnut, whether you've got connections with Loki or not. The others…I think I can work with them, though." Sam frowned and turned to Danny. Her features took on a surprised expression when she saw the creature smiling.

"What are you so happy about?" she bit out irritably. The dragon's smile only spread further across his scaly face as he tapped the last word he had scratched.

"You can't be serious…" the girl muttered. Danny tapped the word again and raised an eyebrow. Sam narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously before turning back to Hiccup with yet another sigh.

"Can we trust you?" she asked flatly. The girl thought it was a terrible idea. She was certain her friend's new form was starting to drive him crazy.

"Uh…" the Viking's face went slack with bewilderment, "sure?" Toothless raised and tilted his head at his human. The Viking absently reached over and scratched behind the creature's ear.

"This is crazy…" Sam muttered to herself, then addressed the man once more. "We'll make a deal with you. We explain to you what Snozzlout—"

" _Snot_ lout."

" _Whatever_ —saw, and you help us find our way home." Sam knew the brawny Viking's name; she just didn't care to say it correctly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Danny's amusement. A wicked smirk threatened to cross her own face, but she forced it back with a disaffected scowl. Her draconic friend might have known what she was up to, but she wasn't about to let Hiccup figure it out.

The Viking frowned a moment and fell still, forgetting he'd been scratching Toothless until the creature nudged his hand for him to continue.

"You seemed to know something about what was going on with the Night Terrors…" he drawled out, "or at least, you two looked like you had an idea…" His eyebrows lowered over his green eyes. "Help me find out what was happening with them, and you've got a bargain." Hearing the Viking's words, Sam allowed the smirk onto her face. She saw Danny nod in satisfaction. With a nod of her own, she strode forward toward the man.

With a look of determination, Hiccup stood and met her half-way. As a smile began to tug at his features, he clasped the girl's hand, and the two shook on their agreement.

* * *

The two humans began to walk over to where Danny still lay on his belly. Toothless, eager to be included, though clueless on what that meant, bounded up behind them. Hiccup noticed Sam wince when she stepped on a particularly sharp rock. He was about to offer to carry her, but the scathing look Danny shot him quickly dried up the words. The possessiveness the Viking saw in him was more than a little alarming.

Hiccup also noticed that as soon as Toothless looked at the larger creature, a practiced expression of neutrality was on Danny's face once more. As they drew nearer, the larger dragon began to paw at the blanket near him in a frustrated attempt to unfold and smooth it out. With an angry snort, the beast held his claws out and stared at them accusingly. It didn't take long for the man to figure out what he was attempting to do and jog forward to assist. He was thanked with a whine and a forced smile. It was confusing.

"So," began Hiccup as he and Sam sat on the wool cloth, "what did you mean when you said Danny isn't a normal dragon?" It was the question that had been bothering him since the day before. Every time he watched the creature, it grabbed onto his mind more tightly, more demandingly. Sam and the creature grimaced and looked at each other. With pursed lips, Sam's eyes returned to Hiccup.

"He's…well…to put it simply, he's been cursed," the girl said haltingly, "he's basically got the mind and memories of a human." Hiccup frowned. He'd never heard of anything like it. Sam definitely wasn't giving him the whole story, but it did explain some things.

"So that's why he's so expressive…" he murmured, "and literate… Is it why he's so possessive, too?" At Hiccup's question, Danny's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets, and he frantically shook his head at the man. Sam frowned at the Viking, not seeing her friend's reaction.

"Possessive? What do you mean…?" she turned to look at the dragon, but the creature had taken up an act of innocence and pretended to watch a bird. When the girl turned away, he gave Hiccup a pointed look and shook his head again. The Viking's eyes widened and he forced his face into a grin.

"I…uh…must have been imagining it…" he laughed nervously. The girl frowned in confusion, but the dragon relaxed visibly. Hiccup would have to find a way to communicate with him in private later.

Danny's relaxed state didn't last long, though. Toothless seemed to have decided to go back to napping…right next to his "brother". The larger creature froze and craned his neck so he could see the smaller dragon.

"Is the whole curse thing why he can't be in the book?" he asked, though his eyes were still on the reptiles. Danny was tense, uncertain what to do about the already snoring creature that was leaning on him.

"Not exactly…" Sam broke off to look at her dragon, "Danny, just…leave him. Dogs do the same thing, sometimes." The larger creature huffed grumpily and lowered his head, decidedly unhappy about the situation. Hiccup raised an eyebrow at him, which earned a roll of the dragon's blue eyes.

"See…he's…" the girl hesitated and looked at the dragon once again. Danny nodded minutely for her to continue and looked away. The irritation fell away from his features to be replaced by something both nervous and haunted.

"You could say he straddles the line between the world of the living and the…uh…underworld…" Sam told the man. She raised her hand to bite her thumbnail, waiting anxiously for his response.

Shocked wasn't the right word for what Hiccup was feeling. It was neither accurate, nor strong enough. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates and his jaw slack with disbelief. The dragon shifted uneasily, which made the Toothless hum irritably in his sleep. The girl still watched Hiccup, still gnawed her thumbnail, still waited nervously.

"You mean…he's…" the Viking searched for words, but his brain had ground to a halt. Fortunately, the girl supplied what he was looking for.

"He's half ghost," she clarified, "a completely separate curse. Or blessing, depending on the day. So…yeah…No clue what he'd be capable of if he were just a dragon." Hiccup frowned and pinched the bridge of his nose. The new information was going to take time to process.

"Okay…so…cursed and half…ghost…" the man said. He took a deep breath, trying to kick his mind back into working order.

"That means he's got, what…ghost abilities and human intelligence, right?" he looked at the larger dragon, who had decided to be interested in the conversation again. The creature nodded slowly, as did Sam. The girl heaved a sigh of relief and smiled. Hiccup was certain that, wherever they had come from, such things were not readily accepted.

"So…what all can he do?" he asked, his curiosity prodding him onward.

Sam smirked wickedly in response. Hiccup was no longer certain he wanted to know.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this chapter took so long, my lovely readers. Large portions of it got scrapped several times. :(

Thanks for all the reviews! I got some much appreciated compliments and some welcome suggestions. For those who worried, no, I don't plan to give up this story. I already have a sequel for it in the planning stages. ;D We'll get there. Just a heads up, I do have some things coming up this week here in Doom-land, so the next chapter or two may have a bit of a delay. Hopefully not too long, though, because I'm kind of excited for the next chapter. X3

Anyway... As always, thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

"What do you mean, Toothless has to go back?" asked Hiccup in confusion. Danny had scratched something in the dirt again, compelling Sam to inform him that the smaller dragon would have to return to base.

"I mean," drawled the girl, "he can't be here. Most creatures get pretty freaked out by Danny's abilities. My guess is that a normal dragon would be, too." She crossed her arms and scowled. Hiccup had seen the same look on Astrid when she insisted on something. He was beginning to believe it was an expression all stubborn girls shared.

The man frowned, baffled by her explanation. While she clearly believed what she said, it reminded Hiccup of a conversation from the previous day. His eyes narrowed as he tried to remember exactly what she had told him.

"…I thought you said he'd met two other dragons…" he said slowly, trying to keep the suspicion from edging into his voice, "wouldn't you know for sure from that?"

Sam's eyebrows shot up and she quickly turned to Danny. The dragon grimaced. It seemed neither of them had recalled that topic. With a cringe, the girl returned her attention to the Viking.

"Those…weren't exactly normal dragons, either…" she replied, refusing to look at the man. Danny shook his head slowly. It wasn't a disagreement, though. Hiccup thought it seemed more of an expression of dissatisfaction with her response. One of his own eyebrows quirked up.

"There's a whole lot of 'not normal' where you're from," he observed. His comment was met with dry, humorless chuckles from both girl and dragon. They seemed to have matching smirks as Sam shook her head.

"You don't know the half of it."

With a shake of his head, Hiccup lifted himself off the wool blanket to stand and stretch. As he took a few steps forward to wake Toothless, Danny seemed to suddenly remember something. The man paused to watch the dragon's messy scratching and blinked. Whatever the creature was writing, he didn't recognize the characters. Perhaps that was why Sam had complained earlier about being unable to read it. He was proven wrong moments later, though, when the girl leaned over from where she sat to examine the scratchings.

"Danny, you don't need a volunteer for that. I can do it," she scolded the creature. The beast narrowed his eyes and shook his head in refusal. The girl glared right back at him. A black claw jabbed insistently at the words in the dirt.

"We're not going back there until those guys are done flipping out," Sam hissed, "and I don't want to invite _them_ back here to find _us_!" The dragon dug a line under the scratchings. Hiccup sighed and ran a hand over his features. Apparently, they were both incredibly stubborn. Sam was insisting she could be the volunteer, and Danny continued to adamantly refuse her offer. What the volunteer was for, Hiccup had no idea, but they needed to move on and he could only think of one way to get the two back on track.

"I could blindfold them," the Viking offered, breaking into their strange argument, "then Toothless can carry us most of the way, and I'll send him back." Danny grinned triumphantly at Sam as the man spoke. After a few seconds of scowling and thinking, the girl growled in frustration and threw her hands up in the air, conceding her defeat.

"Fine," she said, " _one_ volunteer. Someone who's not going to mind having a few minutes missing from their memory." Danny made another quick scribble. A single, unidentifiable character. Sam looked at it and rolled her eyes.

"Does it _really_ matter?" Sam asked with an irritated roll of her eyes. The dragon nodded fiercely and the girl sighed in exasperation.

"He's asking for a male volunteer," she said, then quickly amended it when Danny snorted, "sorry. _Insisting._ Happy now?" The dragon nodded again, though he still looked annoyed. Hiccup didn't think his eyebrows could go any higher as they crept closer to his hairline. He was becoming worried about what he was going to see. The fact that one of his friends would be unable to remember _something_ had him particularly concerned.

"They're not going to get hurt, are they?" the Viking asked. The girl shook her head. She placed her hands on the blanket behind where she sat and leaned back. Her features had lost most of their irritation, but she was clearly still displeased.

"Not at all. They might be a little disoriented after, though. Maybe a bit queasy. Headache, at the worst, but Danny's usually pretty good at avoiding that. I think." Sam looked at the dragon out of the corner of her eye. The creature gave a subtle shrug and smiled easily. His companion scowled at him a little in return, which oddly made the beast smile more widely. Danny snorted a small laugh as the girl looked away in annoyance.

"…Exactly how long has Danny been cursed, again?" Hiccup asked, bewildered by the easy interaction between the two.

"Pretty sure I never said," replied Sam, cutting off the topic before it could be picked up. Hiccup frowned. With a sigh and a shrug, he decided to accept it for the moment. He was certain they would tell him when they were ready.

* * *

The sun had crept a little higher in the sky when Hiccup returned to the base. He hadn't paid much attention to the passage of time after Snotlout had burst into the common house. He frowned as the Astrid arrived, his crew finally all present on the wooden walkway where he had last seen them all. The man was still trying to figure out how to phrase what he needed to say.

"Did you find them?" asked Astrid, her arms crossed and eyebrows lowered. Hiccup was partly relieved that she had started the topic. He took a deep breath and nodded.

"I did," he informed the group, "and I'm pretty sure they're not going to hurt anyone. As long as no one goes looking for them, that is." He shot a pointed look toward the twins and Fishlegs. They were the most likely to actually _want_ to go after Sam and Danny, though for very different reasons. Ruffnut and Tuffnut tried to look innocent. The larger, straw-haired man, though, seemed crestfallen.

"Sam tells me that Danny isn't a normal dragon," Hiccup began, only to be quickly interrupted by Snotlout.

"Because he's the _spawn_ of _Loki_ ," the stout Viking insisted crossing his arms and scowling. Hiccup pulled at his auburn hair and glared at him.

"Danny is _not_ the spawn of Loki!" he hissed in frustration at Snotlout, whose arms fell to his sides in shock at Hiccup's outburst. It was the lanky twins' turn to look crestfallen. The leader of the group couldn't resist the anger as he prepared to rant. Snotlout had triggered the whole situation and the fact that he was stuck on his less than informed assumptions just rankled the slimmer Viking further.

"Let me make this clear," Hiccup began again, his voice low and bordering on furious. His arm thrust viciously to point at toward the forest he had come from. "Those two are lost and scared, and apparently a _very_ long way from home. Danny is under some sort of weird curse that has nearly gotten _both_ of them killed, and _you_ ," he was nearly yelling as he jabbed his finger at Snotlout's chest, "acted just like the ones who nearly did them in!" The shorter man looked horrified. Four other sets of eyes watched on in stunned shock. They rarely saw Hiccup outright lose his temper. Taking a deep breath again, Hiccup forced himself to calm down. He pinched the bridge of his nose, his thoughts struggling to return to what he had intended to tell his companions. No one dared to speak as he regained his composure. The only thing to break the silence between them was the rolling of the ocean near where they stood.

"Okay…" he said, finally in control of himself once more, "like I said. He's not a normal dragon. Fishlegs, you're not going to be able to study him, and he's not going in the book. Sam tells me that one of his curses makes it impossible to know what his specie is actually capable of." The larger man slumped in disappointment.

"One of his curses?" asked Astrid, "how many curses can a dragon have?"

"At least two that they've told me about," replied Hiccup, "she said that the other curse makes him think like a person." He shook his head, forcing his thoughts away from the bizarreness of the interactions between Danny and Sam. It was still unsettling, but he was determined to be open-minded and accepting of their situation. They needed help, and he and his crew were the only ones capable of giving it to them.

"So…" began Fishlegs hesitantly, "what exactly _can_ he do?" Hiccup knew the larger man wouldn't be able to hold back his curiosity.

"I don't know yet," the auburn-haired man admitted, "but they offered to give me a demonstration. I need a volunteer to come back with me. Blindfolded." Fishlegs' arm shot up eagerly. The other Vikings hesitated, confusion spelled out clearly across all their faces. Hiccup sighed.

"Apparently Danny is insisting on a male volunteer," he explained, "but something he's going to do is, I don't know, going to block some memories or something." Fishlegs pouted and awkwardly lowered his hand. Hiccup had expected that reaction. Snotlout and Tuffnut eyed each other warily, neither wanting to offer themselves to whatever was about to happen.

"Well," drawled Hiccup tauntingly, "if neither of you is _man_ enough for a little demonstration…" He let his words trail off and turned to Fishlegs, who had turned a little pale. Hiccup had no intention of forcing the larger blonde man into it. For one, he didn't know what segment of memory was going to be lost, and his somewhat timid friend valued knowledge above all else.

"I'll do it!" Tuffnut offered, jogging forward in an effort to prove his doubted masculinity.

"No, I will!" Snotlout argued, racing over and shoving Tuffnut aside, "I found their weirdness, I get to do it!"

"You don't even like weird!"

"So?!"

Hiccup smirked and nodded reassuringly to Fishlegs. The large fellow smiled and heaved a sigh of relief as the other two continued to fight over the dubious honor of being the volunteer. Astrid huffed in annoyance and turned her back on the bickering Vikings. Ruffnut had decided to chime in with support for her brother's feeble reasoning.

"Snotlout, you're coming with me," Hiccup declared calmly. The shorter Viking crowed triumphantly at the disappointed twins. In Hiccup's mind, it was only fair. Snotlout had caused the situation to turn south, so he would be the one to help him clear it up. It just helped that the shorter man thought he was volunteering for the job.

* * *

The journey back to Sam and Danny was uncomfortable for all those involved. Toothless was grumpy at having the extra passenger, Hiccup had Snotlout clinging to his middle for dear life, and the shorter Viking was definitely not enjoying the bouncy, blind ride. Snotlout voiced his complaint a few times, only to be reminded by the leaner man that he had, in fact, volunteered. Eventually, Hiccup brought Toothless to a stop, just out of sight from where he had left the two strange companions.

Snotlout, in his haste to disembark, caught his foot in the saddle's straps and fell. Hard. Hiccup rolled his eyes, certain that the other man's helmet would have a new dent in need of hammering out.

"Go on, Toothless," he ordered the dragon, "back to base." The creature tilted his head and looked in the direction he knew Danny to be.

"No. Back to base," Hiccup said more firmly, pointing toward where they had come from. With a noise of disappointed complaint, the dragon's head drooped and he turned to begin the trek back. The tall Viking returned his attention to the shorter, grumbling man.

"Remember. You touch that blindfold, and I call Toothless to drag you back," he warned as he hauled Snotlout to his feet. The shorter man grimaced at the thought.

"I got it…"

"Good. Come on." Hiccup firmly grasped the man's arm and began to lead him the rest of the way, occasionally warning him of roots that had snaked their way out of the earth to trip unsuspecting wanderers. As they drew nearer, they could hear odd, reptilian murmuring and a girl's voice drifting on the faint breeze.

"Danny, what are you even trying to do?" It was Sam. A frustrated series of hums and growls floated to the Vikings' ears. Hiccup decided it was probably a good time to announce their arrival.

"I'm here!" called the Viking. He pushed his way past a shrub and pulled a suddenly reluctant Snotlout behind him. The taller man saw the girl rise to her feet to scowl at the sight of the shorter Viking. Danny frowned, a concerned expression creeping onto his face as he watched the girl's reaction. With a sigh, Hiccup continued forward.

"Here's our volunteer," he offered flatly, "who has promised to remain blindfolded unless he wants the others to know he chickened out." The statement was more of a blatant threat wrapped in all the blandness of a comment on the weather. Hiccup forced a smile and left the shorter man to stand awkwardly by himself.

Sam's eyes narrowed at Snotlout and her nostrils flared. Suddenly, her expression cracked. The girl began to grin wickedly. A cruel chuckle escaped her lips. Hiccup felt himself pale at the change in her. Perhaps it was a bad idea to choose the shorter man.

* * *

Danny was worried by Sam's reaction. She had been so angry before he saw the wheels turn in her head and her inner deviousness emerged. Judging by the look on Hiccup's face, the taller man was a bit frightened for his shorter friend.

"So…uh…" Snotlout chuckled with false bravado, "let's do this thing." Danny could see his knees shaking. Sam's evil smile continued to grow as she looked at the dragon. Realization dawning on him, he frowned and shook his head quickly. He knew what she was thinking. He would not assist her in the revenge she had chewed him out for seeking himself. If he wasn't allowed to pull rotten pranks to get back at his own bullies, he wouldn't abuse his powers on her behalf either. Sam's cruel delight vanished and she scowled once again. Her arms crossed grumpily.

"Fine," she grumbled, rolling her eyes and turning her attention back to Hiccup. The Viking seemed almost relieved at her return to grumpiness. Danny couldn't blame him. Carefully, the girl sat on the wool blanket once again and motioned for Hiccup to do likewise. After a dubious frown, he followed her unspoken suggestion.

"So," the girl said, looking at the dragon, "checklist?" Hiccup gave her a confused glance while Danny thought a moment, his features beginning to betray his unease. Sam's recommendation seemed like the reasonable way to go about the demonstration, so he nodded in hesitant agreement. With a nervous snort, he hefted himself up onto all four feet and took a few steps to give himself some room. If the Viking turned against them after their demonstration, they would have to make a run for it and hope to find another piece of hospitable land in the vastness of the ocean. The dragon shook his head to dispel the pessimistic train of thought. Taking a deep breath, he reached toward his ghost half.

As it always had, the tingling sensation washed over him. Halos of bright light traveled the length of his body with the strange electrical sound he barely noticed anymore, turning his scales from coal black to dazzling white in their wake. Hiccup shielded his eyes against the flash that transformed the dragon, blinded by the unearthly light. Danny smirked at the slight whimper that came from Snotlout. Even with the blindfold, the dragon was certain some of the light had seeped through.

"Tada! Now he's a ghost," cried Sam sarcastically with a flourish of her hands. Danny, his colors inverted and glowing ever so slightly, did his best to pose heroically, but the effect was lost with his still unfamiliar form. Sam rolled her eyes at his wasted efforts. Hiccup stared at the creature in amazement, taking in the changes.

"Wait… _Ghost?!_ " squeaked Snotlout, his interjection startling the other humans, "you're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking!" The man crossed his arms, but by his white knuckles, Danny could tell he was simply forcing himself to resist the urge to panic and rip off the scrap of cloth over his eyes.

"It wouldn't be nice of me to lie, now would it?" Sam asked darkly, the wicked smirk returning to her face. Danny hummed warningly. His friend was taking far too much enjoyment at the man's discomfort. She pretended to ignore the dragon, though the creature knew she had heard him.

"Danny, I think we're going to need to do things a little out of order," the girl said, her creepy smile growing wider, "let's start with overshadowing." Danny frowned and rolled his now acid green eyes at her. She _was_ the one calling out the list. With a grumble, he let his wings flare out. His feet left the ground as he began to float. Then, without a single beat of his outstretched appendages, he shot forward at the Viking and vanished into the man's chest.

* * *

Hiccup was speechless. He'd seen dragons change colors, but never so…dramatically. The glistening white his scales had changed to almost seemed to emit their own light, but that was impossible. Then there was the eerie glow to the creature's eyes that were unlike anything he'd ever seen. When Danny had floated up with the barest flutter of wings and dove _into_ Snotlout, he yelped in shock. He scrambled to his feet and ran over to the other man. Snotlout had doubled over, clutching his middle. Before Hiccup could reach him, though, he straightened, as though there was absolutely nothing wrong.

"…Snotlout?" asked the taller Viking warily. Another step closed the gap and he reached out to place a hand on the other man's shoulder. An uncharacteristic, lopsided smile crept across the shorter Viking's face. Calmly, the shorter man pulled off his horned helmet and removed the blindfold. When he opened his normally blue eyes, they had turned a glowing, poisonous green.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, I know the last little scene is a little short, but it's how I wanted to end this chapter. The next one starts off with continuing it and other fun stuff. Huzzah! Originally, I was going to end the chapter right before the demonstration, but I feared the mutiny that would be directed toward me... ;_; Please don't hate me. I wanted to at least give you a little. I'll be starting on chapter 14 in the morning...Er...when the sky is grey again...

So, next chapter, [spoiler redacted]. Also, [spoiler redacted...again]! And Danny's going to have a few...er...problems... But probably not the ones you're expecting. At least, I hope you're not expecting them. Okay, one problem you might expect, but anywut... *cough* Yeah...

Thanks again for all the fantastic reviews! I'm glad so many of you are so _excited_ by my story! Seriously, it makes me grin and giggle like a deranged lunatic each time I read a new review. It's starting to freak people out. :D

Also... Someone created art based on my story. o.o You should all go see it. Like, seriously. Right now. seantriana. deviantart. com slash art slash Speckles-of-stars-596958197

As always, thanks so much for reading!

[spoilers not actually redacted...author is pretending...]


	14. Chapter 14

Hiccup's jaw dropped. The expression on Snotlout's face was all wrong. His eyes were green and _glowing_ , like Danny's had been. The taller man stumbled backward in alarm. His hands flew back to catch himself as he fell, landing on his rump and scurrying a little further away. His bulging eyes never left the other man's face, even as the shorter Viking began to stretch and test his limbs.

"Overshadowing, check," declared Sam with wicked delight. Snotlout's head bobbed, that smile that was so _wrong_ still spread across his features. The shorter man took a few steps and bent down to offer Hiccup a hand. The taller Viking just stared at it uncertainly. When the man opened his mouth to speak, rather than Snotlout's voice coming out, he heard a series of dragon noises.

The shorter Viking's face twisted into a series of expressions that didn't match anything Hiccup had ever seen on the man's face. First was a look of dumbfounded shock. It was quickly followed in rapid fire succession by disappointment, frustration, confusion, and finally anger. The angry little man began to pace, arms flailing wildly as growls and small roars spilled out of his mouth. Among the many disturbing things Hiccup had seen in his life, the sight before him was among the most disturbing to date. The gestures Snotlout was making were completely foreign to what he'd seen from the man. Those wrongly colored eyes seemed to flare an even brighter green as the short man continued his reptilian rant.

Hiccup slowly rose back onto his feet and turned to see Sam, still smiling, though the expression had turned to something more amused than evil. The tall man's eyebrows drew together. He couldn't understand how she could find anything about the situation entertaining.

"Okay, Danny," she called out lightly, "quit goofing off and focus." The smaller man glared at her and threw his arms into the air, roaring angrily as he attempted to say something else.

"You know, if you keep that up, Toothless will probably hear you," Sam pointed out with a smirk. Snotlout's hands flew to clamp over his mouth and his panicked eyes darted to where the smaller dragon had left. The girl laughed at the reaction, earning her another glare, though the man's meaty hands remained firmly in place.

"W…What…is going on…?" asked Hiccup as he finally found his voice. He was displeased to find it trembling, betraying the twinge of fear he was feeling. Knowing his legs would likely crumple beneath him if he tried to walk, he stayed where he was standing. A thought in the back of his mind pointed out that if he _were_ to start walking, he might end up running away and make things even worse.

"This is called overshadowing," explained Sam, waving an arm toward Snotlout, "it's when a ghost basically possesses a human host." Snotlout shuddered at the explanation and dropped his hands to shake his arms in an effort to shake off something about the words. Sam continued to smirk as she watched the display.

"So…that's…You mean, _Danny_ is in there?" asked Hiccup in strained disbelief, "he's borrowing Snotlout's body?" The two nodded in response, though Snotlout's features looked distinctly uncomfortable about the situation.

"And I'm sure Danny could tell you more about it if he would _concentrate_ ," the girl said, though it was more directed to the creature hiding behind the other man's face, "seriously. Other ghosts can borrow voices when they overshadow. Just because you haven't bothered to try doesn't mean you _can't_." The two scowled at each other for a moment. Suddenly, Snotlout's features fell blank and his hand flew up to slap his palm against his forehead in frustrated realization. As the man's face took on an expression of focus, he dropped his arm and began to mumble wordlessly. Hiccup cringed.

"This is so wrong…" the taller Viking commented with a shiver, "That face was never meant to wear that expression."

"You might want to sit down, then," laughed Sam, "he's just getting started." Hiccup nodded mutely at the smirking girl and sat down roughly on the dirt and leaves scattering the forest floor. Even if she hadn't suggested it, he was certain he'd end up needing to sit anyway. It was either that, or risk passing out from shock.

"Any luck?" the girl asked the dragon within Snotlout. Still mumbling to himself, he put a fist on his borrowed hip and raised an index finger, a signal for her to wait. After another full minute of strained silence, a beaming smile suddenly lit up the shorter Viking's face.

"You know, that was a lot harder to figure out than I expected." Hiccup's face turned to one of horror, his eyes the widest they had ever been. Rather than Snotlout's voice speaking, it was one that sounded like it belonged to a boy in his early teens, his voice just beginning to break and threatening the deeper range it was destined for.

"What…" sputtered the taller Viking, "how…who…huh?!" Words failed him as he gaped at the man. His head was buzzing with fear and confusion. What he was seeing and hearing should not have been possible, and yet it was. Fainting was starting to look like a very good idea. Perhaps not the most masculine one, but still appealing.

"And really, Sam," that same wrong voice continued from Snotlout's mouth, ignoring Hiccup's distress, "you know I hate when you use 'possessing' and 'host' and stuff like that. It just makes it sound all kinds of wrong." He shuddered in disgust.

The taller Viking's mouth opened and shut wordlessly, like a fish hauled out of the water. He forced himself to blink, trying to dispel any illusions his mind was creating for him, but nothing changed.

"I know," replied the girl with a smug grin, "but they're the most accurate words to explain it. Anyway, how's it working?" Hiccup's eyes shot over to the girl, conversing with the creature inside Snotlout as though it was the most normal thing in the world. His gaze quickly darted back to the shorter Viking, waiting for the response.

"It's…weird," came the too young voice, "but then, everything's weird right now. I couldn't quite reach Snortloud's voice, and I'm having to concentrate way more than I should have to just to use my own. To be honest, I'm feeling pretty cramped, and this guy's got some sort of stink on him that's making my nose is burn." The man's face creased into an irritated scowl and his arms crossed in annoyance.

"Do you even actually _have_ your own nose right now?" asked Sam, her eyebrow quirked up.

"I don't kn—you know what I mean!" The man's arms flew wide in exasperation and the girl smirked at him, reveling in her minor victory.

"Snotlout," Hiccup broke in, finally recovering his voice, "his name's Snotlout." The taller Viking shook his head, trying to get his thoughts straightened out. He was surprised when the other man's face suddenly began to grin again.

"Welcome back, Hiccup," said the borrowed man with amusement. Hiccup tried to think of him as Danny, but it wasn't working well. Fear still toyed at the taller Viking's features as he frowned and tried to calm himself.

"So…you're really…?"

"Yeah," replied Danny's voice, Snotlout's face grinning widely. His expression suddenly twisted into a pained scowl.

"Seriously, whatever this smell is…" the overshadowing creature complained. Snotlout's head shook back and forth.

"I gotta…Hiccup, I need a favor," he said hurriedly, "I need to know more about your book thing…and…The fish… _breathmint…_!" His speech suddenly dissolved into a fit of small frenzied roars. Snotlout's body cringed and then, without warning, the man fell to the ground. Just as the creature had vanished, the white dragon materialized, flying out of the fallen man's chest. The moment the tip of his long tail appeared, the creature dropped to the ground, humming miserably and clutching at his inexplicably infected-looking snout.

* * *

"Wow…You weren't kidding," breathed Sam, unnerved, "I thought you were just making another bad joke…" The dragon hummed his objection and squinted at the girl. If he weren't so distressed at the situation, Sam was certain he would be glaring. The fact that he wasn't gave away just how badly his nostrils had to be burning.

"Any clue what the smell was?" she asked as she slowly got up and began to gingerly creep across the forest floor. Danny answered in the negative, his head flopping from side while his paws still clung to his poor snout.

"What happened?" Sam heard Hiccup ask. She turned to look at him to find he had pulled himself up and was walking over with unsteady steps. The girl shook her head.

"I'm not sure," she replied, "could be anything…" As she finally reached Danny, she crouched down to get a closer look at the creature's injuries. His big, luminescent eyes peered up at her. The miserable look on his face nearly broke her heart. She fought to keep her face straight as she reached down to gently attempt to pull his claws away from his nose.

"Come on, Danny," she coaxed, "I need to see what happened." With a pained whimper, he removed his paws and Sam got a good look at him. She took a sharp intake of breath, hissing through her teeth in sympathy at what she saw. The delicate skin surrounding his nostrils had dried and cracked, leaving dozens of tiny, green lacerations. Sam's eyes narrowed as she inspected the wounds. Unless she was imagining it, they appeared to be steaming. Whatever he'd smelled really _had_ been burning his nose. The girl felt a little guilty at having teased him for it, not that she would admit such a thing, even if it was probably written all over her face.

"What is that?" asked Hiccup in concern as he drew close enough to see, "it looks infected. I've never seen infections pop up so fast."

"It's not an infection," said Sam with a slow shake of her head, her short black hair swinging side to side with the gesture, "it's ectoplasm. That's kind of the ghost version of blood." The Viking frowned, processing the information. His eyebrows then rose in alarm.

"You mean he's _bleeding_?!" Sam was certain the man had forgotten the ghost part of the equation when he practically dove forward to kneel in front of the dragon. He began to reach forward to inspect the creature's wounds, but a warning growl from Danny had him yanking his hand away.

"Sorry…force of habit…" the Viking apologized guiltily. Sam frowned at the dragon.

"Knock it off," she told the creature irritably, "the guy knows dragons, so he probably knows some dragon first aid." The dragon huffed his refusal. Sam glared at him forcefully. The two scowled at each other in a battle of wills for several seconds. Then, with a roll of his eyes, Danny hummed his surrender and looked at Hiccup. The man studied the two warily, but didn't move until the girl swung her arm to present his patient. With a nervous swallow and a nod, the Viking reached forward once more.

Sam watched as the man grasped her friend's chin far more gently than she had ever expected any Viking to be capable of. Danny, meanwhile, wore a grimace as the man carefully tilted the dragon's head this way and that. The creature was cooperating, yes, but he was definitely uncomfortable with the situation. After what seemed like a very thorough examination, in which Hiccup gently prodded at the skin surrounding the injuries, he let go of the dragon's chin and began patting his hip as though in search of something.

Sam looked at him quizzically. She was about to ask what he was doing when he smiled and produced a tiny, wooden box from somewhere she had failed to notice.

"This ought to do the trick," he said cheerfully "it's a medicine for when hands get split open from the cold, but I bet it will work just fine for this." The man opened the box and showed it to Sam. Within was a thick, yellowish salve. He then presented it to Danny, who took a hesitant stiff at it. He grimaced at the smell before he shrugged and nodded glumly. The dragon's face was very much not enthused, but Sam supposed the stinging of his skin was probably worse than the stink of the medicine.

With the creature's agreement, Hiccup dipped two fingers into the ointment and began to gently smear it on Danny's nose. Sam could tell her friend was struggling to hold still. His face was contorting in ways she hadn't thought possible as the man applied the medicine ever closer to the creature's nostrils. As Hiccup dipped his fingers back into the box, though, he hesitated.

"Um…" he looked at salve, then Danny's nose, "I don't think you're going to like this part…" The Viking looked at Sam. Her brows drew together as she began to understand. Careful to avoid sharp rocks, she crept closer, sitting as close to Danny's head as she could. Nervousness crept into his eyes as he realized what was about to happen. Before he could even try to flee, Sam pounced on his neck, effectively pinning him to the ground. The girl knew he could easily escape with his size and strength, not to mention powers, but there would be no way he could make a break for it without hurting her. Instead of resisting, he allowed his limbs to flail in protest as Hiccup spread the salve on the very rims of Danny's nostrils. The second he finished, he put the cap back on the box and backed away quickly, his hands in the air.

Seeing the Viking had finished the job, Sam released her friend and stood to carefully make her way back to the blanket. Danny growled with indignation and glared at the two.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," said Hiccup sympathetically, "but I bet it doesn't hurt that bad, now." Sam looked over her shoulder to see Danny's blank face. Apparently he was so worried about the man's fingers going _up_ his nose, he hadn't realized the burning had died down. The girl snickered and shook her head as the dragon decided to huff grumpily and look away.

"You made sure to knock out your volunteer before you let him go, right?" asked Sam as she finally reached the wool cloth and sat down. The dragon rolled his eyes and nodded. Hiccup, suddenly reminded about the presence of his fellow Viking, ran over to check on him. The shorter man was snoring soundly, much to the taller Viking's relief. Careful not to wake him, he returned the blindfold to Snotlout's eyes.

"Okay," said Sam, rubbing her hands together eagerly, "back to the checklist!" She waved for Hiccup to join her and soon he sat down on the opposite end of the blanket. The girl frowned as she noticed her reptilian friend watching the man very closely. The dragon may have been a little strange at the best of times, but it was unusual behavior, even for him. Shaking her head, she returned her thoughts to the demonstration.

"Let's go for invisibility," Sam called out. With a nod, the Dragon faded from the visible spectrum. Hiccup looked impressed, but not as shocked as she had expected.

"Wow…His camouflage is even better than a Changewing's…" he said with an amazed smile. The girl laughed.

"No camo here," the girl said gleefully, "straight up invisibility. Hey Danny, take a tree with you!" A reptilian hum answered and, seconds later, an entire tree began to disappear from the trunk up. The color drained from Hiccup's face once again.

"That's impossible…" he breathed nervously, "he can't do that to people, too…can he?"

"I do believe you've just volunteered," she answered with wicked delight. The girl waved to where she assumed Danny still stood. The tree reappeared in a flash and, a heartbeat later, Hiccup yelped and vanished.

"I can't see my hands!" the Viking's panicked voice cried, far higher in pitch than it should have. A rumbling, draconic laugh rolled through the forest, echoed by the girl's wicked chuckling. In a blink, both dragon and Viking returned to visibility. The man stared at his hands and turned them over multiple times to make sure they were still there.

"Invisibility, check," the girl said, reigning in her laughter, "any problems?" The dragon shook his head, and the two moved on, not waiting for Hiccup to recover from his shock.

"Okay, now intangibility. This is the one Snootloot saw." The girl looked over at the Viking to see him nod vaguely, a slight frown crossing his face at the once again mangled name. She rolled her eyes and nodded to Danny. At her signal, the dragon leapt into the air, then began to fall. He should have landed on the dirt, but he continued to fall right through it and vanished beneath the still solid ground. Hiccup yelped in alarm and began to scramble to his feet.

"I wouldn't do that," advised Sam with a smirk. The man paused to look at her and suddenly found himself sitting again when the dragon shot up out of the earth once more. Not a single fallen leaf had been stirred as the creature passed through them until his feet touched down, flattening them with a satisfying crunch. The girl smirked at the Viking.

"And now, Danny," she said lightly, her voice poisonously sweet, "would you kindly demonstrate what happened when you accidentally started that fight yesterday?" The dragon looked at her, embarrassment working its way into his features. His cheeks seemed to glow slightly greener, much to Sam's delight. Apparently his ghost form's scales were a little more translucent than the other form. She was fairly certain Hiccup had never seen a dragon blush before when she saw his reaction to it. He had looked over, glazed eyes beginning to clear. When his gaze fell on Danny, his eyebrows had shot up.

"You see, Hiccup," she began, ignoring Danny's protesting whine, "he got pretty nervous, just walking up to a pack of dragons like that, yesterday. And… well… he accidentally triggered it." She waved her arm toward Danny. With a grumpy growl, he turned his leg intangible. The creature yelped as he lost his balance and toppled over.

"Thus, creating panic and mayhem," she concluded with a snicker and a flourish. With an irritated grumble, he pulled his leg out of the ground and found his way back to his feet.

"He can share this one, too," the girl explained to Hiccup with a smile, "but that might be a bit much for you right now." The Viking slowly nodded in agreement, his face still pale and eyes wide with alarm. Sam's face fell in concern. She bit her lip and waited a moment for the man to regain some of his color. As the man took deep calming breaths, the girl nodded to herself and looked at the dragon.

"Okay, then. Intangibility, check. Ghostly flight," she instructed.

"Wait, he can already fly?" Hiccup said, suddenly snapping back to reality. He gave the girl a hard look. Sam rolled her eyes in response. The dragon huffed grumpily again.

"Not with his wings," she explained, "and it takes a lot of energy in his hu—I mean…er…non-ghost form…" She had almost slipped again. The Viking narrowed his eyes at her and she looked away, avoiding his gaze. Danny was shaking his head in exasperation. The girl decided to glare at him. He wasn't the one who had to try to keep their stories straight.

"Go on," she urged the dragon irritably. With a roll of his eyes, Danny spread his wings and began to float. With a concerted effort, he tucked the appendages against his body again and began to zip weightlessly between the trees.

"Okay," admitted Hiccup in fright, "you're right. Normal dragons wouldn't like this." Sam smirked. Most humans were unnerved by such sights, as well. The man was clearly no different and ducked with a terrified yelp as Danny zipped low overhead.

"Showoff," Sam smirked at her friend. He unfurled his wings again as he stilled and slowly descended to the ground.

"Ghostly flight, check. How about some ecto energy manipulation?" she suggested. Danny nodded and carefully folded his wings to rest on his back once more. The Viking looked at her quizzically. Sam knew it was a lot to take in. She could only imagine what the man was going through, likely never having seen a real ghost in his life. All things considered, she thought he was taking it very well. She would make sure to explain ghost things a little better when the man was less overwhelmed. Giving herself a mental shake, she returned her thoughts to the checklist.

"Go for a ghost ray," she told the dragon. The creature nodded again. With a stumped blink, he looked at his feet. A scowl crossed his scaly features in frustration and he lay on his belly to free his front paws. The glow of green energy began to slowly build on his claws as normal before he suddenly began to gag. The green haze vanished in a blink and he scrambled upright again to run for the trees.

"Danny?!" Sam scurried to her feet and was about to run after him when she saw a flash of green between the trunks. Confusion glued her feet to the blanket she stood on. Hiccup glanced first at her, then toward the forest, looking nearly as befuddled as the girl felt. When the dragon returned sheepishly, Sam breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened?" she asked. Danny's wings slumped and a disgusted grimace crossed his face. With a slow, reluctant shake of his head, he turned and opened his jaws. Out flew a stream of ghastly, green flames. He quickly extinguished the fire and clamped his mouth shut, looking as though he were wishing he'd vomited instead.

Sam's eyebrows flew up in shock. That wasn't supposed to happen. Sure, beams of ecto energy could get hot, but Danny had never been capable of using ghostly fire. His icy core had made that an impossibility. The dragon gagged a little and let his tongue hang out his mouth. The girl suspected his fire had a flavor much like he had described the taste of ectoplasm. Acrid and alkaline.

"I've never seen a dragon breath _that_ kind of fire before," commented Hiccup, seeming for all the world as though he had only seen something mildly odd. The girl and the dragon stared at him in disbelief. Sam then slapped her palm to her forehead. Of course it would only be mildly odd to him. Dragons breathed fire. He knew dragons. She briefly wondered if Danny's cluelessness was beginning to rub off on her.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to her friend once more.

"Okay, ecto energy needs revisiting later," she decided, "I'm guessing your ice is probably going to do the same thing." Danny nodded. Sam was certain he had come to the same conclusion in his own thought process.

"Ice?" puzzled Hiccup, "fire and ice in the same dragon?"

"Sort of…" Sam said hesitantly, "but the ice is going to have to wait until we get the ecto thing figured out." The dragon finally pulled his tongue back into his mouth. He seemed glad to move on. The girl suspected he just didn't want to risk tasting ectoplasm again.

"I'm guessing you're going to want to keep your forest," she muttered thoughtfully, taking in the surroundings, "so the wail is out…I guess that leaves…" Sam looked at Danny calculatingly. She pursed her lips together, as the creature shifted uneasily under her gaze.

"Do you want to try duplication?" she asked reluctantly. He'd only recently gotten a handle on that skill, but it was still fairly hit or miss, particularly when he thought too hard about it. The dragon's features darkened with determination, his mouth set in a grim line. With a nod, he took a step back.

"Duplication?" asked Hiccup, "what—?"

"Shhhh!" Sam shushed him fiercely, cutting him off, "he needs to concentrate!" The Viking promptly shut his mouth and turned to watch the creature, though he occasionally cast a wary glance at the girl. She, meanwhile, kept her own eyes glued to her dragon companion. The creature's face was twisted in concentration and legs began to shake with his effort. With a faint pop, a second, identical dragon appeared next to him.

The girl leapt into the air with a whoop of celebration. For a brief moment, she forgot she was barefoot and began to rush forward to congratulate and hug her friend…perhaps his duplicate, too. Her progress was immediately brought to a halt, though, when she suddenly found herself face-planting into the dirt. She looked toward her feet to see what she had tripped over…

…To find Hiccup had fainted.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay...Soooo...This is why I couldn't fit the whole demonstration into the last chapter. You guys would have been waiting even longer for it. I didn't want to do that to you. So, I made an effort to get the whole thing into this chapter. Ta-da! Now Hiccup's seen just about everything. I'm sure at some point I'll want to re-write this, but for now, I'm satisfied. HOWEVER! If you see something that needs fixing, please kindly send me a PM so I can make it make sense. Hopefully, next chapter I can get back to the usual awkwardness that is Danny's default setting.

To my new readers, followers, favoriters, and creepy stalkers... Welcome! I hope you've enjoyed what you've read so far! :D

Again, much love to the reviewers. I'm really, seriously touched, you guys. Seriously. Thank you. I got one review in my PM box that got me a bit choked up. You guys know how to make a writer happy.

I know I always say this, but thanks for reading! Really, I mean it.


	15. Chapter 15

"Great," muttered Sam as she found her way back to her feet, " _now_ what are we supposed to do?" Hiccup was sprawled on the blanket, having finally fainted from the many shocks of Danny's demonstration, and the other Viking, lying on the dirt, was due to wake up any moment. She scowled in thought as she tried to devise a plan, but nothing was coming to her. Heaving an annoyed breath, she turned to see if her friend had any ideas, but it was clear he didn't. The girl wasn't even certain he'd heard what she said.

It was likely he hadn't, considering he and his duplicate seemed to be examining each other. The duplicate eyed the original's snout, and both cringed. Apparently, the burn was worse than Danny had expected. Sam tapped her foot, impatiently waiting for one of them to look over at her. Instead, the original began to circle the other white dragon, trying to get a good idea of his own appearance. The girl rolled her eyes.

"You know, you can check yourself out later," she pointed out irritably, "we've kind of got more important things to worry about." Both creatures froze and stared at her. Danny had been preparing to poke at his duplicate's wing with his nose, and the copy had braced itself, ready for the bizarre contact. After a few blinks, the duplicate suddenly vanished with a poof. The remaining dragon nodded and approached her.

"Really, how you can have so much trouble with a couple extra limbs but none at all having an entire extra body is beyond me," she commented drily, shaking her head in bewilderment. Danny merely gave a nonchalant shrug. He had once tried to explain what having a duplicate was like, too. When he couldn't find the words, though, they decided it was just a ghost thing and left it at that. Sam was certain she would never understand.

"So," said the girl, returning to the problem at hand, "what are we going to do about that guy?" She frowned and pointed at Snotlout. Danny hadn't exactly set him down gently before he flew out. The man was on his side, one arm at an awkward angle and pinned underneath him, the other flung out in front. One leg had managed to nearly fold like a pretzel while the other was straight. Sam had no objection to the discomfort the man was likely to experience when he woke up. She did, however, have an objection to him being able to run away.

"I _would_ tie him up," she explained, "I mean, his feet would be no problem. The wrists, though… I don't think I've got enough muscle mass to get him off that arm. Then there's that smell… Whatever it was, I don't want it to end up on my hands." Her frown deepened into a scowl. A flash of light at the corner of her eye told her Danny had reverted to his less than ghostly form. The dragon hummed in thought. Neither of them wanted him ending up with more burns. Cautiously, the black creature edged forward, a look of disgust crossing his features.

"Danny, what are you doing?" the girl asked. Eyes that were once again blue turned toward her and rolled as though his intentions should have been obvious. A heavy huff through his nose brought Sam to understanding.

"You're not planning on actually _smelling_ him, are you?" Her voice was full of disbelief. She knew the man already had a particular stink to him. The very thought of it made her face twist unpleasantly. Danny, however, nodded. It was a reluctant gesture, though. He clearly didn't want to, but believed it to be necessary. Looking ready to gag, he turned and lowered his face toward the unconscious Viking. He was quickly sent scrambling backward with a yelp when the man suddenly groaned and rolled over.

"Ugh…" muttered Snotlout as he pushed himself into a sitting position, "what hit me?" He rubbed his aching head and discovered his helmet had come off. When had that happened? Now that he thought about it, he didn't remember actually being hit by anything. In fact, he didn't feel bruised at all, just a little sore from having laid on his arm. He must have been lying there for a while, considering it was already dark. With a frown, his mind processed another detail. He had something wrapped around his head. The blindfold! He was still blindfolded! As his thick fingers wrapped around the cloth to pull it away from his eyes, a young, feminine voice cried out.

"Hold it, buddy!" her voice sounded frantic and angry, "don't touch that!" It took him a moment to recognize who the speaker was, but he did know she wasn't nearly close enough to do anything to him. With a scoff, he began to tug at the fabric once again. The much closer growl that suddenly came from behind him, however, had Snotlout freeze. Very slowly, he removed his fingers from the cloth and lowered his hands to rest on his lap.

"Where's Hiccup?" he demanded, hoping he sounded bold and intimidating.

"Hiccup?" Sam's voice held a note of panic, "he's…uh…resting. He was so overwhelmed that…he decided to…uh…take a nap?" Snotlout heard the dragon give up growling to make what sounded like an exasperated groan. It was weird. They were weird. They were… His mind finally caught up to him.

"I know you!" he recalled out loud, "you're—!"

" _Not_ spawn of Loki" the girl interrupted coldly. Snotlout balked at the ice in her voice. He'd heard rage and anger and cursing streaks a mile wide, but the chill in her tone sent a shiver down his spine…Not that he'd ever admit it.

"While we're waiting for him to wake up, I have some questions for you," she continued, sounding for all the world as though she hadn't nearly frozen him with words just seconds before. He heard the dragon huff somewhere behind him, sounding still far too close for the Viking's comfort. The man put on his fiercest face in spite of the blindfold he was itching to rip off. His arms crossed stubbornly.

"That's too bad, because I'm not giving any answers!" The man congratulated himself inwardly. He was certain he'd sounded tough and immoveable. A grin threatened to ruin the effect he imagined himself to have, but he forced it down, jutting his jaw out just a little further.

"Is that right…?" she replied. The girl's voice was like ice, once again. He could hear the cruel smile that colored her words. The dragon behind him rumbled a low, laugh-like growl. Snotlout no longer felt as mighty as he thought he had presented himself. He decided it might be better to cooperate with the supposed "not-spawn-of-Loki" after all.

* * *

As Sam carefully stalked forward to begin her interrogation, Danny grinned and carefully sat on his haunches to watch. The girl could be quite intimidating when she chose to be. He knew that first hand. The stout Viking was already beginning to sweat. It smelled odd, though. The dragon knew what sweat was supposed to smell like, but this odor was different. He frowned as he considered it. He had been smelling the strange tang in the air off and on since he had woken up on that other island. Danny knew he had smelled it a little bit ago, just before he overshadowed Snotlout. He'd thought it was the stink that burned his nose, but now he knew otherwise. Then it hit him. With a groan, he slumped and hung his head.

Apparently, dragons could smell fear.

He'd always thought such things were a myth. He'd thought that saying a predator could smell fear was something people would just say to add drama. Another realization hit him with that thought as he slumped further and dropped himself to the ground in dismay. He was a predator specie, and apparently a pack animal. Toothless was going to end up trying to teach him how to hunt. The dragon shuddered at the thought. Other than what he'd caught while fishing with his dad, he'd never actually _killed_ anything. He was beginning to wish breakfast with the other dragon had been his biggest problem.

As he grumbled sourly to himself, he failed to notice Sam had stopped her questions and was watching him in confusion.

"Danny?" Her voice startled him out of his thoughts and he looked up to see the concerned frown that had begun to cross her face. He grinned sheepishly and hummed an apology. The girl's eyebrows just sunk lower, though. Danny's ears drooped as his face fell and he turned away. This was something that was too big for charades to communicate. Being stuck as the wrong specie was messing with him on far too many levels and he was beginning to fear that his best friend would end up seeing him differently…like some sort of monster…

Fighting back a whine, he turned his back on her, his ears pivoting back to keep track of where she was. When he heard her sigh and turn, he took a deep breath. Sitting back on his haunches once more, he found his balance and reached into his chest with intangible claws, determined to find the amulet.

* * *

Sam Continued to frown after she had turned back to Snotlout. Danny had been acting oddly since the moment they found themselves on that tiny island. That he hadn't even attempted to communicate what had suddenly bothered him had her worried. Up until that moment, he had seemed frustrated at his inability to talk. Back home, the creature had a terrible habit of running his mouth and spouting puns at the slightest provocation. Having him unexpectedly shut her out was a little unnerving. She shook her head out of her thoughts. She had things to do.

"Okay, so you said you went to the stables, the training ring, and that clearing this morning," she said, picking up where she had left off, "and none of the dragons have ever had any problems with any of these places, right?"

"Not even once," confirmed Snotlout nervously, "Hiccup picked this island because it was the safest one for the dragons." Sam frowned. She was now positive that whatever had burned Danny had anti-ghost properties. It had become a matter of finding out what it was.

"You used some sort of perfume or something," she stated, "what was it?" The girl knew it sounded strange, but she had no other way of phrasing it accurately. The blindfolded Viking wore a blank expression, confused at what she was asking. Sam palmed her face in frustration.

"Either you tried to make yourself not stink or you shoved your nose in something! What was it?!" she demanded harshly. Snotlout flinched and grimaced, clearly unused to trying to actually think. Sam bit back the frustrated yell that she desperately wanted to release. She ended up letting it loose seconds later, though, when she began to pace and stepped on a particularly sharp rock. The girl sat heavily on the ground to examine her dirty, bruised, and now slightly bloody foot. Suddenly, a large, black, reptilian face was right next to her, looking at the abused appendage as well. She nearly yelped in surprise before she caught herself and paused to regain her breath.

"What was that? What happened?" asked Snotlout, an edge of panic in his voice. Sam muttered darkly, but ignored the man's question. She tried to shove her friend's face away, but he refused to move. He instead turned his eyes toward her and frowned, the expression pulling at the split skin of his snout. The girl could see the gears turning in his head. He was thinking something and she just knew she wasn't going to like it. She was spared the dragon's idea for a moment when they heard the other Viking begin to wake with a groan.

"Hiccup?!" asked Snotlout, his voice raising an octave.

"Yeah…" replied the other man, "I'm okay…" The taller man sat up and rubbed his head. Frowning, he looked around to regain his bearings. His expression turned to an embarrassed smile when his green eyes landed on the girl and her dragon.

"I guess it was a bit much," Hiccup commented hesitantly, a nervous laugh escaping him as he looked away sheepishly. Sam sighed in relief and smiled. Beside her, she could hear Danny doing the same. They really hadn't wanted to try to navigate the area on their own. How they had managed to find themselves with an open-minded Viking was beyond Sam. Their luck was usually far worse. Blinking, she forced her thoughts away from their usual fortunes in fear of silently jinxing themselves.

"Hiccup! They didn't do anything weird to you, did they?" Snotlout asked frantically. He reached up toward the blindfold again and whipped his hands away again with a whimper when Danny growled at him once more. Sam glared at the man, even though she knew full well he couldn't see it. Hiccup, on the other hand had paled a little. His eyes darted between the girl and her dragon, the unspoken question written all over his face.

"No," Sam drawled irritably, "Danny didn't touch you." The taller Viking visibly relaxed at her answer. The dragon seemed to have started sulking. Sam couldn't figure out why the creature had suddenly gotten moody. Something was definitely bothering him. She would have to get him to tell her later, one way or another. For now, though, there were more pressing matters.

"Hiccup, do you have any idea what Snotlout would have shoved his nose into this morning?" she asked abruptly. The thinner of the Vikings blinked at her, momentarily stunned. After he processed her sudden query, his brows lowered in thought.

"I can't think of anything," he said slowly, still looking as though he were turning the question over in his mind.

"I don't shove my nose in things!" Snotlout objected fiercely, "and I don't use _perfume_ or whatever." He crossed his arms grumpily.

Sam took a deep breath, trying to stave off the frustration that was building once again. It was time to bring up the culprit she and Danny knew to be capable of burning him. She just hoped it wouldn't come back to bite her friend.

"Are there blood blossoms on this island?" she asked. A confused silence rose to smother the question.

"…What's a blood blossom?" Hiccup eventually asked in response.

"I guess that's a no, then…" Sam muttered mostly to herself.

"Okay, then," she continued, her violet eyes turning to her sulking scaly friend, "I guess that means we check out the clearing." She prepared to rise to her feet, but the creature's face was suddenly far too close and scowling. With a yelp, she fell backward.

"Danny!" she cried out angrily, "what is _wrong_ with you?" The dragon's eyes narrowed before darting to her foot and back to her face.

"Did something happen to your foot?" asked Hiccup as he rose and crossed the distance between them.

"No, my foot is fine," said Snotlout, "but I'd like to take this stupid blindfold off, now."

"Not you. I was asking Sam," said Hiccup, annoyed.

"Oh."

"I'm fine," the girl replied, "I just stepped on a sharp rock earlier. No big deal." Danny's scowl deepened. Sam rolled her eyes at the creature. It really didn't hurt, and it really hadn't bled that badly. She was more concerned that his facial expressions were going to cause more damage to his injured nose in spite of the salve smeared on it. Before she could get into a battle of wills with the creature, he turned his head to look at Hiccup. After some head gestures, Hiccup seemed to understand what the dragon was trying to say to him.

"I think he wants me to help you back onto his shoulders…" he told the girl. The creature nodded his affirmation and the Viking gave a quick dip of his head in response. Sam glared at the two of them. She was not about to become a damsel in distress.

* * *

It was Sam's turn to sulk. Danny hadn't even allowed her off the ground until she agreed to let Hiccup lift her back onto the dragon's shoulders. Even though he had made the request, he had still found it difficult not to glare or growl at the man as he lifted her up. He huffed out his relief when the Viking stepped away, the girl settled onto his shoulders. An offhanded comment from Hiccup about his scales brought his mind back to an earlier thought. He would have to find a way to communicate it to the man later.

After a sharp whistle and several seconds, Toothless barreled happily into the forest. His spirits seemed to drop when he saw Danny already with a passenger. The smaller dragon seemed to already realize that this meant they would be walking. The larger creature was pretty sure he understood the frustration. He preferred flying, himself. He just didn't know how to do that yet without frightening the locals.

Once Hiccup pulled Snotlout onto the smaller creature's back, they set off, taking a deceptively leisurely pace. When they were well away from the site Danny and Sam had claimed for their temporary camp, the shorter Viking was finally allowed to remove his blindfold. The man seemed much less inclined to complain after he could see what was going on again.

Every once in a while, as they continued onward, Danny thought he smelled something sweet and earthy. It was a faint scent that pulled at some part of his mind. No one else seemed to notice it, though. Not even Toothless showed a reaction to it. He continued to follow the smaller dragon, but he couldn't help but look to where the enchanting aroma seemed to originate. Whatever it was, he knew finding the source was likely to be intoxicating and addicting. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind. When the winds decided to change direction, he was both relieved and disappointed. He had no idea why he felt the disappointment, though, and the confusion he felt at his own reaction left him feeling rather unsettled.

Still, they continued onward. It was around the time Hiccup announced they were about to arrive that Danny noticed something was off again. This time, it was distinctly unpleasant. There was a vaguely familiar scent in the light breeze that irritated his already injured nostrils. He scowled at the sensation and tried to place where he knew the scent from, but found himself…well…clueless. What annoyed him further was the fact that, once again he was the only one who seemed to notice the smell. He understood that Sam and Hiccup wouldn't be able to detect it yet. Their human noses, which he was beginning to be jealous of, weren't built to sense such subtle changes in scents. Toothless, however, was. Danny couldn't figure out why the other creature didn't seem bothered by it. He was certain their senses were at least similar. They were both dragons. Sure, Danny was only temporarily one, but he was certain that he was full dragon at that point. Aside from his ghost half, that was. Ghost half. Eyes growing wide, he stopped in his tracks. After a moment frozen in place, he craned his neck around to look at Sam and give her a concerned hum. The girl looked back into his bright blue eyes and blinked in confusion.

She didn't know. Danny frowned at her. After a huff of frustration, he took an exaggerated smell of the air and cringed. Her violet eyes widened as comprehension filled them.

"Hiccup, wait a sec!" the girl called out. The other dragon stopped and turned to rejoin them.

"What's up?" the taller Viking asked, unaware and unconcerned. Snotlout leaned over behind him to see what was going on.

"What's wrong with his nose?" the shorter man asked, seeing the dragon's raw snout for the first time. Danny swallowed the annoyed growl that threatened to start rumbling in his throat. He knew Toothless would scold him, and he didn't want to deal with that just then.

" _You're_ what's wrong with his nose," Sam muttered bitterly. Hiccup rolled his eyes while Snotlout just stared blankly. Danny hummed a little more loudly at her to remind her what she was supposed to tell them. He heard the girl grumble wordlessly before she began to speak again.

"Danny's smelling something," she began, "and considering it looks like Toothless doesn't have a problem, I'm thinking it's not exactly a dragon thing…if you catch my meaning." The taller of the two Vikings mulled over her words a moment before he nodded in understanding.

"I get it…" he said, acknowledging her assessment, "I guess we're on foot from here on." The two men dismounted quickly. When Sam began to follow suit, Danny scowled and pulled his wings forward, effectively blocking her. The girl glared back at him for only a moment before she smiled far too sweetly for his liking.

Without warning, her hand shot out and clamped onto his wing. With a strangled yelp, he pulled it away from her grip and the girl used the opportunity to slide off his shoulders. The sensation was still far too strange, and the suddenness of it had caught him off guard. Angry chattering noises spilled out of Danny's mouth in place of the words he wished he could say. It was a dirty trick, and, judging by the smug grin she was wearing, Sam knew it perfectly well.

* * *

"He really doesn't like his wings getting touched, does he?" commented Snotlout, stunned at the creature's reaction.

"Nope." Hiccup looked just as stunned.

Sam continued to grin, feeling ever more triumphant. She could see Toothless getting irritated out of the corner of her eye.

"Danny, Big Brother is watching," she told him, her tone sing-song and taunting. He was about to start growling at her until she pointed at the smaller creature. The larger dragon abruptly stopped all noise, his face switching from fury to dread in the blink of an eye. Ever so slowly, he turned his head to see a very grumpy-looking Toothless. Sam laughed inwardly as her friend seemed to try to shrink. As the smaller creature began to advance, Danny yelped and bolted. With the dragons distracted, she smirked and made her way to the Vikings. The two stared at her, still processing what had happened.

"…He can do all those things, and _he's_ afraid of _Toothless_?" asked Hiccup in disbelief.

"Yup," Sam responded with a smirk. Snotlout looked on in confusion, but neither of them offered further explanation.

Together the three walked toward the clearing, Sam having refused to be carried any further. As they got closer, the floral fragrance finally met their own noses. The girl paled in recognition of the scent. As they broke through the undergrowth, she finally saw them. While she had expected to see a few thorny shrubs with the twisted elegance of the blood blossoms she knew, the clearing was full of low, rambling plants, masquerading as wild roses. These had to be the ancestor plant. Wild blood blossoms by the hundreds, all produced by nature to vanquish lingering spirits and ghosts.

The girl froze where she stood, not daring to get any closer. Hiccup paused beside her, worry beginning to work its way into his features. Unaware of the situation, Snotlout continued forward, smiling broadly. Sam's face grew more horrified as she watched him tromp right through the flowers and pause to pluck one. She finally understood what had happened as the man brought the small blossom up to his face and practically smeared it all over his nose to smell it.

"I love Odin's Rose…" he said blissfully. Sam was glad for the distance he'd put between them. If there hadn't been that field so lethal to her friend between her and the shorter Viking, she was certain she would be strangling him.

* * *

 **A/N:** Sorry this one took so long to get out. I seriously only had one day this week all to myself...sooo...the editing might be a little rough this chapter. If you notice a mistake or awkward phrasing, please PM me to let me know so I can edit it.

Also...I love you guys. You readers are amazing and full of insight and holy cow, almost giving spoilers to each other! o_o Yes, I'm sure you _all_ saw the end of this chapter coming from...well...thousands of miles away. But still! I wanna _pretend_ I'm being surprising! XD Also...I love redacted statements. I got a comment with a redaction in it last chapter and it made me ever so happy! x3 Not even kidding. Loved it!

Anyway...As has been the way of my entire week, I have to get running once again. Hope you guys are still enjoying the story! Hopefully the next few days are quiet so I can get the next chapter out sooner.

As always, thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

"This is bad…" Sam muttered, a worried expression on her face as she pulled back her jet black locks, "this is really, _really_ bad…"

"Sam, are you okay?" asked Hiccup. He leaned over, trying to see her face a little better. He wasn't expecting her to turn to look at him so suddenly. The man stumbled back a step in surprise. Her violet eyes were wide and wild with some unknown fear.

"They're blood blossoms," she told him, her voice tight and wavering in spite of her efforts to keep her tone even, "I mean…That's what we call them back home. But…I think these ones are stronger than what we've seen… And Danny…" The girl suddenly straightened and dropped her arms, looking toward where they had last seen the dragons. Her face was taking on a new look of fear as Hiccup watched. He could feel his own heart begin to speed up as though the girl's anxiety were contagious.

"Oh my gosh…Danny…" Sam whispered to herself. She looked over at Snotlout, still mashing the flowers against his nose in blissful ignorance of the girl's growing panic. Hiccup followed her gaze and looked back at her, finally grasping the danger of the situation.

"You mean…That's what happened to Danny's nose?" he asked quietly, "just the pollen on Snotlout's face was enough to burn him?" Sam nodded slowly. The tall Viking's eyes widened in shock and realization.

"I was walking through there this morning…" muttered Hiccup, "the stuff is probably all over my shoes…and his...and…" He began to pace, thinking. He tugged at his own hair in anxious confusion. He didn't understand how such an innocent flower could burn such a clearly powerful creature. It didn't make sense, and yet he'd seen the after effects. If they could do that much damage through what seemed like indirect contact, what would it do directly? He hoped, for Danny's sake, that they would never see the results.

But then there was the high probability of indirect contact. They were going to have to throw Snotlout in Fishlegs' bath, clothes and all. Hiccup was going to have to clean his shoes and trousers. And Toothless would… The thought Stopped him dead in his tracks. The smaller dragon hadn't been in the field, but he and Snotlout had been on his back, their boots likely leaving pollen on the beast's hide. If the two creatures started roughhousing again, would the larger one get burned just from that? He hoped it wasn't the case. The Night Terrors had been in that field, too. He wasn't certain how clean the flock liked to keep themselves, but he'd have to find a way to get them to bathe… _before_ they got curious about Danny.

As the man heaved a sigh and slumped his shoulders, he realized that he could hear Toothless. It sounded like he'd started scolding Danny. He must have caught up. A strained smile fought its way onto Hiccup's worried features. It quickly vanished again as he decided it was time to get moving.

"Snotlout, get out of there," he ordered, "we need to get back to base."

"Fine," the other man huffed in annoyance. An oblivious grin quickly crossed his face again as he bent down to pluck another flower.

"No!" barked Hiccup frantically, "no flowers! Not this time."

The shorter Viking froze and looked back at the other in unblinking confusion. He looked slowly at the flowers, then back at Hiccup. His eyes returned once more to the blossoms he was about to gather. With a scowl, he straightened and crossed his arms, a picture of surliness.

Off in the distance, Toothless' noises of scolding were becoming hurried and suddenly ceased. It was odd and a little concerning. The larger dragon couldn't have done anything that would have frightened or threatened the smaller creature. They would have been making a lot more noise if that had happened. In any case, they needed to hurry and catch up with the creatures to make sure Danny hadn't accidentally gotten burned. The man decided to think nothing more of it until he saw the worry growing in Sam's eyes once again. He frowned deeply. There was only one way the girl was going to stop worrying. He just hoped the larger dragon wouldn't get territorial on him.

"Hop on," he suggested, crouching down to offer a piggy-back ride. The girl was clearly about to protest, but Hiccup cut off before she could begin.

"We need to check on Danny, right? We'll move faster this way."

"…You're right…" Sam admitted, looking pained at her own words. Quickly, she climbed onto his back and Hiccup carefully brought himself to a standing position. As he hefted the girl's light weight a little higher, he heard the rustling of leaves off to the side.

"Leave it!" he ordered, his eyes darting over to see Snotlout freeze and drop the flower he had tried to sneak into his vest. The shorter man's shoulders drooped in disappointment and he trudged back over to the two.

They had barely taken a few steps to go in search of the incorrigible creatures when Toothless barreled up to the them in a blur of black scales. His green eyes were wide and frantic. He hummed nervously as he looked at Hiccup and then, for some reason, Sam. The dragon looked back to where he had appeared from and looked at the two again. Both humans paled. Danny wasn't with him. Without further prompting, Hiccup took off at a run. Snotlout, having been too busy sulking to pay attention to the creature's arrival, noticed too late that they were leaving without him. With a surprised yelp, he trailed after the others, crying out for them to wait for him.

* * *

Sam clung to Hiccup's shoulders, her teeth clenched at the jarring, vaguely uneven run. The Viking's metal leg clanked and sparked against the occasional sharp rock, reminding her to be grateful she wasn't trying to run on the rough ground. Ahead of them ran Toothless, anxiously looking back every once in a while to make sure they were still following.

The girl's nerves were shot with worry for her friend. She had no idea what had happened to Danny and feared the worst. Though it was only a few minutes, the journey seemed to drag on for hours. Her mind kept rolling through horrible possibilities. Had he run into another patch of blood blossoms? Did something attack him too quickly for him to defend himself? Had Toothless accidentally hurt him? She just didn't know. As far as she was aware, they were all very likely scenarios.

They knew they had arrived when they burst out of the tree line and saw a huddled black mass lying in a patch of low shrubs. Toothless quickly bounded over to the still form and around to the other side, pacing uncertainly and looking to Hiccup and Sam as though they would know what to do.

"Danny!" cried Sam. With an anxious squirm, she leapt off Hiccup's back and sprinted staggeringly across the distance, the Viking close on her heels. When she reached the dragon, she began to shake at his shoulder roughly.

"Danny, are you okay?" she asked urgently. No response. He didn't show any signs of new burns. Nor did he look injured by anything, yet Sam knew something was definitely wrong. Desperate for some reaction, she grabbed the base of his wing.

The dragon began to shake. A strange, rumbling noise came from the creature. Unnerved, she let go and stepped back. Slowly, Danny raised his head and craned his neck to look at her.

The creature was bleary-eyed and grinning. A playful snort came from his nose before the sound began again. Giggling? He was _giggling_? With a blink, Danny turned his unfocused blue eyes to Toothless. The smaller creature chattered at him worriedly and received only a giggle for his troubles. Still grinning stupidly, Danny let his head drop back onto the shrubs, burying his nose in the leafy foliage and breathing deeply. The girl sighed, relieved that he wasn't injured. Now her concern was on why he was acting so strangely.

Sam stared at the plant in suspicion. Carefully, she crept over and crouched down to examine it more closely. The girl frowned. It looked similar to valerian, with its rich, green color and large bunches of tiny blossoms, but the flowers were the wrong color. Her hand reached out and plucked a sprig to smell. The pale, blue flowers smelled sweet, like some mix between cherries and vanilla, but the foul odor of the leaves made her draw the sprig away from her nose quickly. Definitely some variety of valerian. She knew it was used for sleep aids. She had also heard somewhere that it affected some cats. Perhaps it affected other creatures as well.

"I didn't know we had Freyja's Breath here," commented Snotlout, finally catching up.

"How do you even know anything about _flowers_?" asked Hiccup in disbelief. Sam started at the man's voice. In her frantic efforts to check on her friend, she hadn't even noticed his approach behind her.

"I can have a hobby, can't I?" the shorter Viking replied casually, his hands on his hips. Hiccup raised a finger and opened his mouth to reply, but seemed to suddenly realize he had no words. Sam scowled at the two.

"Uhhhh, more _important_ things going on," she pointed out harshly, "can we _focus_ for a minute?" Both Viking's blinked at her.

"Hiccup," she held the sprig out to the taller Viking, "does this stuff affect the other dragons?" Hiccup took the offered cutting and frowned in thought as he looked at it.

"I've seen it a few times," he told her, handing it back, "but I've never seen any of the dragons react to it."

"Snorelump—"

" _Snotlout_!" both men corrected her.

"Whatever! What do you know about this plant?" She pointed her thumb at the plant, where Danny had begun to make a soft rumbling noise. Sam turned to give him an alarmed look of confusion. She hadn't heard him make _that_ sound before.

"I don't know that much…" the shorter Viking began, regaining the girl's attention, "but there _is_ a story about it that my Grammy told me when I was little."

"She told me that, a long time ago, when Freyja and Odin first made their deal to divide the dead warriors, some of them got lost. Freyja did some magic thing to these flowers and made their smell have the power to draw in their spirits. Something about dual nature of death, bitter and sweet at the same time. I don't know, I usually fell asleep by the time she got to that part." Snotlout waved off the ending carelessly. Sam turned her violet eyes back on him and raised an eyebrow. The first few words had sounded like he was trying for a mystical tone, but quickly gave up.

"You really stink at telling stories," she commented dryly, "has anyone ever told you that?"

"Meh. I'd rather be awesome at everything else," he replied with a smug grin and a shrug. Sam and Hiccup both rolled their eyes.

"Okay…so… It has power over ghosts…" she gave Hiccup a pointed look. The taller Vikings eyes widened in understanding. She knew he understood her veiled meaning. It had power over _Danny_.

"Pretty sure ghosts are made up," said Snotlout, "and I'm still pretty sure you were just trying to scare me before." Sam rolled her eyes. The man was clearly in denial.

"Okay, then," Sam acquiesced, her voice tinged with hints of sarcasm, "When the others asked what happened, we'll be sure to tell them that you up and fainted. Won't that be fun?" The girl scowled and turned her attention back to Danny. The two men looked at each other, pride keeping both their mouths firmly shut for several heartbeats, one knowing he had actually fainted, the other unsure and unable to defend against such claims.

"Maybe ghosts could be real?" Snotlout relented uncertainly with a shrug. The other Viking rolled his eyes. The girl chose to ignore them both.

"Danny, time to go," Sam told the large dragon. Toothless watched on nervously, humming notes of concern. The larger creature opened one eye and grinned up at her before shaking his head in sleepy, playful refusal. He let his eyes slide shut and that strange, soft thrumming continued with his smiling. The girl frowned. Whatever this plant was doing, it wasn't good.

"Come on," she pleaded softly, "this stuff is messing you up. Let's go…" Sam almost reached out to stroke his head but caught herself and lowered her hand. Biting her lip, she looked at Toothless. The smaller dragon looked back at her and tilted his head.

"What's going on?" asked Hiccup gently, crouching down beside her.

"I think this…uh…Freyja's Breath stuff," she started anxiously, "I think it's some sort of ghost sedative or…" Sam broke off, her face twisted in confusion. Danny was still making that strange sound.

"What _is_ that?" she wondered out loud, "he's been doing that—Is he _purring_?" Her jaw dropped in shock.

"More important things, remember?" commented Hiccup with a raised eyebrow. The girl blinked and looked away. Danny purring was not the issue at hand. They had to get him away from the plant. They needed a plan and worrying about what kind of noise he made was not going to get them anywhere.

"Right…" Sam answered, her voice giving away her embarrassment, "more important things…"

"Why don't we just get rid of the plant?" suggested Snotlout, as though it were the most obvious path. He strode boldly to the Freyja's breath and reached down to pull at the base of it. Try as he might, though, it wouldn't budge. Sam suspected it had some very well established roots.

"Okay… Hiccup, have Toothless burn it," came the shorter Viking's next solution. The girl's eyes widened in alarm. Danny was essentially lying in the plant. There was no way he would get out of such an attempt unsinged.

"You want to set Danny's head on fire?!" Sam spat angrily, scrambling to her feet. Hiccup quickly straightened and put his hands on her shoulders to keep the girl from launching herself at the other man. The three suddenly froze, though, when they heard the reptilian purr abruptly change into a menacing growl. Danny had one narrowed eye open, trying to train it on Hiccup. Toothless was attempting to scold the larger dragon, but it was falling on deaf ears. Sam's eyes widened in shock. What had riled him up in the depths of his stupor.

"Sorry about this…" she heard Hiccup say behind her. Before she could ask him what he was sorry about, he suddenly wrapped one arm around her and swept the other behind her knees, swiftly scooping her up and backing away from the inexplicably angry creature.

* * *

Danny's mind was in a fog. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened. He knew he had been running from…something… What that something was, he wasn't entirely sure. The dragon just knew he had been trying to get away and suddenly found himself tumbling into a patch of shrubs. He had tried to pull himself away, he really did, but the plant just smelled so nice. He couldn't bring himself to leave it. Something had made an awfully lout racket, but he couldn't really make himself care about that either.

The noisy thing had left him after a while and the quiet and the fragrance just made him feel so relaxed. When the wind shifted, he smelled something that stung his airways and, with a grumpy thrum, he shoved his nose into the greenery to escape it. He was feeling quite fuzzy and was about to drift into what promised to be a very comfortable sleep when he found himself being shaken awake. Danny tried to ignore it, but when his wing was grabbed, he couldn't help giggling at it. It just felt so weird!

When he looked up, he saw Sam. How nice that was. He giggled again, happy to see her, but too sleepy to try to tell her. He turned to see where he was, and there was the something. Toothless, he vaguely remembered. Toothless. All gums. Like a baby. He giggled again and decided to try to sleep some more. Sam tried to wake him again, but he didn't want to. The flowers smelled so nice and he was so comfortable. No, he would just take a nap.

He was only vaguely aware of people talking around him as he faded in and out of his partial awareness. It wasn't until he heard Sam's angry voice that he squinted his eye open again. He was not happy with what he saw. That guy with the weird name… Hippo? Hippy? No, Hiccup… That Hiccup guy was holding back Sam. The man was touching _his_ Sam. Some fuzzy part of his mind began to shout at him. _Mine_. It said. _She's mine!_ He couldn't think straight. There was something weird about that thought, but he couldn't place it, so he didn't bother to fight it. All he knew was that the Viking had what was his, and he wouldn't allow it.

When the man had suddenly picked her up, he found himself on his unsteady feet, crawling toward them. Danny tried to tell him to let her go, but couldn't form the words. He couldn't quite figure out why, but he continued to stumble forward toward the man carrying the now loudly belligerent girl. The Viking continued to retreat, sometimes yelling something, but always remaining just out of reach. The girl began to quiet, her wide, violet eyes glued to him.

After a while, he began to feel his senses clearing and his thoughts returning to him. He still couldn't quite see straight, and his balance was still off, but he wasn't feeling nearly as fuzzy. The alluring fragrance had become distant, its hold on him growing weaker. He shook his head and continued to follow Hiccup, still angry that he dared to try to carry her away from him.

As the fog in his mind continued to clear, his pace became more even, his steps more steady. Just as he was about to race forward, he was tackled by something. He yelped in surprise and struggled to get away. His neck craned around to allow him to see what had pounced on him. He suddenly stilled when he saw that it was Toothless. When had _he_ arrived? Jogging up behind him was Snotlout. He turned his head to look at Sam again and saw her standing on her own feet, Hiccup standing a few feet away with his arms raised placatingly. He frowned in confusion and uttered a questioning hum. The humans all seemed to sigh in relief.

Before the dragon could get an answer, Toothless hummed his own inquiry. Danny thought a moment. It was most likely the standard question, the one he received far too often. He couldn't imagine a specie that wouldn't have a form of it. Certain the smaller creature was trying to find out if he was okay, he turned to look at him and gave what he hoped was a note of confirmation. Danny figured it must have been the right response when the other dragon released him and began to look him over like a mother hen, scolding all the while. With a heavy sigh, he slumped to the ground and turned his blue eyes back to Sam.

"So…I think we're avoiding that part of the island," the girl declared. Danny weakly agreed.

* * *

 **A/N:** Greetings, my lovely readers! I'm so glad you've decided to stick with me. For those of you who have just started reading my story, welcome! To a certain co-worker/friend who has been promising to read this for forever and a day... HI!

Anyway, now you have your answer to what Danny was smelling. I refuse to call it ghost-nip. Rawr. Besides, Vikings would call it something far more...Norse sounding. I actually did some research on catnip and similar plants to kind of get an idea of what I wanted that plant to do to ghosts. And guys...don't do drugs. Also...I'm trying very hard to avoid Cliff Hangers right now, at least until I get some serious action going.

Anyway...Hopefully I'll be able to get a lot of writing done this weekend. Not much in the way of plans until Monday. My Mondays have all been claimed. Yay side endeavors!

As always, thanks for reading! I love you guys!


	17. Chapter 17

Once more in the woods of Dragon's Edge, Sam was perched on Danny's shoulders as he trudged his way back to camp, carefully following the trail they had left in the undergrowth. He could feel the lingering effects of the Freyja's Breath at the edges of his mind and stubbornly fought against it. His eyelids felt heavy and his limbs occasionally seemed to be landing in the wrong place, nearly causing him to stumble. Each time it happened, though, he snorted at himself and strained to regain his balance. He couldn't afford to fall…not with his passenger. The girl made several offers to walk, but he wouldn't have it. Her feet still had no protection and it was a considerable distance to be traveling without shoes.

Eventually, the girl gave in, though she was clearly not happy with the situation. Instead, she began to tell him of their discoveries. He was only vaguely surprised the island had ancient blood blossoms. However, the description of their numbers had him pause mid-stride to look at Sam. He had searched her face and found neither deception, nor mirth. It was no joke. That clearing, and the field closest to it, would have to be avoided at all cost.

Sam went on to describe the events as she had seen them, from Snotlout's absurd method of smelling the flowers, to Hiccup using her to lure the creature away from the stupor inducing plant. Danny had felt irritated at the Viking, his snout giving him a small pang to remind him of his wounds. He also felt ashamed at himself. He hadn't meant to run through the shrubbery. Toothless had been right on his tail, almost literally, and he'd simply tried to shake him off. He vaguely remembered having felt incredibly possessive of Sam, though he couldn't quite figure out why. The dragon mentally shrugged it off, though. Whatever had come over him, it had gotten him out of that mind-numbing haze.

At long last, they reached the portion of forest where they had decided to set up camp. Sam began looking for edibles, and Danny hunted down wood for a fire. He discovered very quickly that his tail was not prehensile. It was whippy and flexible, but lacked the strength to actually hold anything. Attempting to actually put the appendage to use was also far too bizarre a sensation to bear for the creature. So, grumbling irritably, he began to pick up branches in his teeth. He kept his tongue as far back as he could and his lips drawn away from his teeth in an effort to keep from tasting anything that might have ended up on the firewood. It had been on the dirt in the woods, after all. There was no telling what other creatures might have tracked over it…not to mention the possible bugs.

The dragon quickly found a couple of major drawbacks to his technique, though. The number of branches he could carry was severely limited, considering he had to open his jaws and drop what he already carried in order to gather another. He also found that, as he carried the wood, his saliva would pool and he found himself with drool dribbling out the sides of his mouth. Unsurprisingly, half of what he brought back ended up damp with his own spit.

Danny glared at the pitiful pile of firewood. It wasn't nearly enough to last a night. He glanced over to where Sam was picking her way across the forest floor. The girl crouched down to inspect a plant and gauge its edibility. He knew her feet had to be aching. Neither of them had gone much of anywhere without shoes before. He was just fortunate that the dragon form he was trapped in hat thick pads on his scaly feet. The creature did have to admit that he was a bit jealous of her still having thumbs to work with. Thumbs and arms. And limbs that were familiar. And—

He shook his head away from that train of thought. Envy would get him nowhere, and neither would feeling sorry for himself. With a huff of determination, he scratched a message in his patch of loosened soil and strode away from the campsite.

* * *

Elsewhere on the island, Hiccup and Snotlout were walking up to their base. Toothless bounded ahead of them, leading the way. Their journey had been considerably quieter, the taller of the two lost in thought of what all he had seen and trying to plan what to say to the rest of the Vikings. The other man was just sulking.

As they stepped onto one of the many wooden walkways, they found three anxious Vikings, and Astrid, awaiting their return. The twins rushed up to him, eager to find out what their islands extra inhabitants could do. Fishlegs was bouncing on the balls of his feet, barely holding back his own questions. Hiccup found himself looking for Astrid, though. His eyes landed on her, not far off, where she tried to pretend she hadn't been worried. Being worried was for villagers who stayed home and fishers bringing in their catches, not warriors.

The slim man sent her a weary smile as his dragon companion continued on his way, likely to join the rest of his pack. The scowl she shot back made him smile just a little more. He knew the woman had been worried about him, even if she would never admit it. Hiccup quickly frowned, though. There were things that needed to be done.

"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, I'll get to that stuff later," he said, halting their questions, "I need to know, who all has been down to the Odin's Rose clearing recently?"

"Me and Tuff were there a few days ago," offered Ruffnut, gesturing to her brother, "we wanted to teach the Night Terrors a new trick, and they were there just munching away at them." Hiccup slapped his palm to his face.

"They're not pets," he told the twins in exasperation, "they're our security system. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Just what he needed…more complications. Apparently they were edible, and there was no way he was going to prevent the flock from eating whatever it was they ate. He had no idea if the flower being on their breath was going to cause Danny harm.

The twins shrugged off his complaint and Hiccup scowled. He just knew their playtime with the Night Terrors would cause them trouble someday.

"Were Barf and Belch with you?" Hiccup asked the pair.

"Well, yeah," said Tuffnut, as though it were obvious. Hiccup nodded and took a breath. He tried to think back to the events of the previous day. Danny had accidently started that fight with the other dragons. He was certain that included the two-headed Zippleback. The pollen must have been washed off the creature at some point. Perhaps it had all been blown away by the high altitude winds.

"We found some Freyja's Breath while we were out, too," he started, "has anyone been around that?"

"You didn't know about it?" asked Astrid, a single eyebrow raised in surprised, "I have some blossoms in my quarters. I can't stand the leaves, though." The twins and the largest, blond Viking gave her a puzzled look. Hiccup frowned and rubbed his temples.

"Burn it," said Hiccup. All eyes turned to him in shock.

"Burn it or throw it out or something," he continued, "if any of you has any Odin's Rose stashed in your quarters, that's got to go, too." Several voices rose up in confusion and angry protest.

"Look!" cried Hiccup, cutting off the rapid-fire complaints, "we've got a dragon on our hands that…I don't…He's got some crazy allergy to them or something! I don't know what's going on with him, but until we get Sam and her dragon back on their way home, it's got to go!"

He soon began to give orders for boots and saddles to be cleaned. He received a considerable amount of grumbling at his demands, all for the sake of one unfamiliar dragon, though nearly everyone agreed to their tasks. The worst, unsurprisingly, was Snotlout. Hiccup had told him to take a bath, and the shorter man outright refused. He didn't think the creature could be _that_ allergic. The leader of the riders felt his eye begin to twitch.

"Ruffnut! Tuffnut!" Hiccup called out. The pair stood to attention and nearly elbowed each other in the face in their failed attempt to salute. Astrid rolled her eyes at them in irritation and walked away, looking rather exasperated.

"Help me escort Snotlout to the baths," the auburn-haired man commanded, interrupting the heated slapping fight that had erupted between the twins, "we're throwing him in, whether he likes it or not!"

"I already told you, I took a bath two weeks ago!" the shorter Viking objected as he widened his stance and raised his fists. With identical, mad grins, the matched blonde Vikings began to circle around to cut off his escape routes. Hiccup took a slow step forward, his eyebrows lowered in focus.

"Last chance to come willingly," the auburn-haired man warned.

"Never!" Snotout punched his fist up into the air, proclaiming his defiance proudly. Not a word was spoken between the twins and Hiccup as they rushed forward to pounce on the seditious man before them. The odds were not in his favor, but he put up an impressive fight. Arms and legs flew every which way in a flurry. Many bruises were doled out. In the end, however, Snotlout was defeated.

"…Where did the rope come from?" asked Hiccup as he stared down at their captive. At some point the shorter man had been tied up, and he wasn't entirely certain how or when. The twins ignored the question, whistling in a failed act of innocence. Hiccup decided he didn't want to know after all.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were all too happy to help Hiccup drag the loudly complaining Snotlout to Fishlegs' bath. When they arrived, they quickly pulled the rope off the man and roughly shoved him into the steaming bathing pool. Their delight at the resulting splash was downright alarming. The shorter man responded to the treatment much as was expected. He yowled angrily, as though they had tried to drown him. When he tried to pull himself out of the shallow water, Tuffnut pushed him back in with his foot, cackling with a demented sort of glee.

Fishlegs was almost as displeased, worrying what the angry man's acts of retaliation would do to the energy flow of his personal space. He was wringing his hands fitfully, fussing worriedly about how he might have to redo a portion just to evacuate the negativity.

When Snotlout finally was allowed to climb out and stalk away in his fury, Hiccup suddenly realized something. Fishlegs had gone quiet at some point, no longer anxiously fretting about the condition of his baths. His posture had become far more relaxed and confident. The slender man looked at him quizzically, though the larger fellow refused to look his way.

"Guys," Hiccup told the others hesitantly, "you go on ahead and get started. Fishlegs and I will catch up in a little bit." The other two Vikings headed off to their own tasks, seemingly complimenting each other on their knots work as they left the two tallest of the men behind.

"Fishlegs, you okay?" asked Hiccup, cautiously stepping over to his friend. He slowly reached out to grab the man's arm, when the other man spoke up. The voice, however, was not Fishlegs'.

"You know," the familiar too-young voice said, "thumbs are amazing…" The large Viking raised his hands to examine them, flexing his fingers as though he hadn't seen them in years. When he raised his face to look at Hiccup, the man saw the normal grassy green eyes had turned a poisonous shade that glowed unnaturally. The slimmer Viking pulled his hand away out of reflex and took a step back in shock. A tense silence fell over the two. When Fishlegs began to smirk and raise an eyebrow at him, Hiccup finally realized what was happening.

"…Danny…?" he breathed in disbelief, his eyes going wide. The smirk on Fishlegs' face grew wider.

* * *

After he had left the campsite, Danny quickly transitioned into his white ghostly form and faded from the visible spectrum. His wings spread instinctively as he floated up and zipped through the forest. The appendages beat ineffectively at the air as he continued on, unable to resist the motion. He scowled to himself as the thought of seeking out Toothless bubbled up in his mind. Looking for lessons from the other dragon was bound to stir up trouble, but he feared he might not have a choice. The wings were practically begging to be used, to stretch and strain against the wind. It was a very uncomfortable sensation that frustrated him badly. He would need to learn to use them one way or another.

It didn't take much searching before he found the Vikings, the twins practically frog-marching a tied-up Snotlout to some unknown destination and being obnoxiously loud about it. Danny followed along invisibly, curiosity taking hold. He shrugged inwardly at himself. There wasn't much he could do until the ruckus died down anyway. Besides, he told himself, he needed to be sure he wouldn't find himself burned again.

As he watched the shorter Viking forced into the bath, he carefully decided on his target. The largest man. Danny noticed that the fellow was, for the most part, being ignored. As the volume of the Vikings increased and the large blonde man became increasingly anxious, he phased himself into the man's skin, mercifully subduing his frantic awareness into a quiet oblivion.

It was odd, feeling cramped while overshadowing. Since the moment they had arrived, he'd felt as though he had too many limbs to keep track of. Standing there, masked by the Viking's face, he oddly felt as though he didn't have enough of them. Even borrowing such a large body, he felt as though his dragon form was constrained, like he had been crammed into one of his parents' ghost-catching thermoses again. With an annoyed sigh, he rolled the meaty shoulders back and began the unusual search for a voice. His voice, or the man's. It didn't matter which, as long as he could speak.

When Hiccup suddenly looked his way, Danny avoided meeting the man's gaze. He'd forgotten how observant the Viking was. It was strange. He could usually avoid detection back home. But then, he reminded himself, back home, most people were happy to be oblivious. Most people were either too busy to notice subtle differences or chose to remain in denial. He balled his fists anxiously. With a blink, he realized something. He had hands. Borrowed hands, yes, but still hands.

Soon enough, Hiccup had dismissed the twins and the two were alone. The Viking said something, but Danny barely registered it. With the other two gone, he was finally free to examine the fingers. The thumb. Oh, how he had taken thumbs for granted. It had only been a day, and he missed his own hands terribly.

"You know, thumbs are amazing…" he mused out loud, flexing the thick fingers. Even through the wrongness of being a dragon crammed into a human shape, the motions were wonderfully familiar. When Danny realized Hiccup was reaching toward his borrowed arm, he looked up at the man. The Viking looked into his eyes and pulled back in shock. The dragon couldn't resist. He smirked and raised a blonde eyebrow.

"…Danny…?" he heard Hiccup say in hushed tones of disbelief. Danny smiled broadly.

"Awww…You caught me!" he whined impishly with a laugh. The Viking's eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

"You know," Danny began, "trying to borrow a voice is kind of tricky. It's hard enough to get my own while I'm like this. I almost got this guy's voice, but…" He shrugged carelessly, letting the words trail off. The creature nearly laughed again at the sight of Hiccup mouthing wordlessly. He was sure the man's brain had stalled on him.

"Okay," he started again, cutting off Hiccup's confused sputtering, "I don't have a whole lot of time. Sam's going to be mad enough at me for leaving at all as it is. But…" Danny took a breath preparing for what he was about to say.

"I need your help."

The Viking blinked and shut his mouth. He frowned and stared at the face the dragon hid behind. Danny nervously rubbed the back of his borrowed neck and looked away. Having to ask the near stranger for anything was uncomfortable and being stared at was making it even more so.

"My help…? What do you need?" Hiccup eventually asked.

"I…uh…" Danny took another breath and looked at the ground, "I need a…uh…saddle…or something…" He couldn't help the blush that rose to the cheeks he wore. Apparently the man he was overshadowing was bashful. It wasn't helping, and the mere thought of it made him blush even more brightly.

"A saddle?"

"Yeah…" the creature nodded Fishlegs' head.

"You pointed out that my…my…" Danny found himself stuck. He hadn't had to talk about his new form and found himself having a hard time spitting out the words to describe his own features. The borrowed hands raised to run through straw-like hair, but ran into the helmet atop his head. He'd forgotten that Fishlegs was wearing it and fumbled to catch it. With a scowl he shoved it back on his head and steeled himself to spit out what he needed to say.

"My…scales…are too smooth…" he finally said with a slight shudder. "You have _no_ idea how weird it is for me to say that…" Hiccup shook his head, stunned.

"What do you mean, wei—?"

" _Anyway_ …" Danny interrupted loudly, unwilling to answer what was about to be asked, "if I'm going to be carrying Sam around, I don't want her to fall…" Hiccup scowled, clearly annoyed at the creature's avoidance of his question. With a huff, the Viking ran his hands through his hair. Danny could see the gears turning in his head.

"I guess it's possible…" started Hiccup hesitantly, "I think I've got enough leather here for one…" Danny looked at the Viking, almost hopefully. He knew Sam would be upset at the material, but he believed he could come up with a decent argument for it by the time she found out.

"You're going to have to come out, though. I'm going to need Fishlegs' help to take measurements." Danny's expression fell. He was going to be there a lot longer than he planned on.

"Sam is going to be so mad…" the creature murmured. She was likely to chew him out for his sudden disappearance. His best bet for surviving her wrath was to bring back some sort of peace offering.

"Any chance I could get some firewood to bring back with me?" he asked quickly. With a raised eyebrow, Hiccup shrugged and nodded. Danny gave the thumbs one last, longing look. He hadn't even had a chance to use them. Taking a deep breath, he pulled Fishlegs back to the waking world and flew out to land beside him. In the few seconds it took for the large man to regain full awareness, Danny summoned the halos of light to turn his dazzlingly white scales the inky black he was becoming accustomed to. Hiccup was left blinking rapidly, trying to clear his eyes of the spots the flash had left in his vision.

"What…" Fishlegs looked around bemusedly, "where did everyone go…? Are we gathering firewood?" The blonde man adjusted his helmet, still looking dazed. Hiccup frowned and looked over at Danny to raise a questioning eyebrow. The creature shrugged. He no longer had words to explain what had happened, not that he really understood it anyway. One day he would figure it out.

The blonde man looked at Hiccup in confusion and followed his gaze. When he saw the dragon so close, he yelped in alarm. Danny couldn't help the laughter that rumbled in his chest. It was a priceless reaction, and he hadn't even needed to be in his ghost form to get it. Hiccup scowled and shook his head before turning to his large friend.

"Fishlegs," the slender Viking said, clapping his hands together, "we've got work to do."

* * *

 **A/N:** Um...Not a lot to say this chapter...Kinda sleepy, actually. o_o I realize that the conversation between Danny and Hiccup was a little one-sided...buuuut...the guy wasn't exactly expecting it, so he was a bit stunned to be talkative, y'know? Also...I very much don't like repeating my scenes, but I felt it was necessary to get both sides of what was going on at that transition.

I want to thank everyone who has been leaving reviews. They very much brighten my day when I see them pop up! This week I have to finish up the whole "filing taxes" thing, but I'm hoping to get another chapter ready for the weekend. Wish me luck, guys!

As always, I want to thank you all for reading my story so far! Especially big thanks to those of you who have been following the story for a while. I'm very glad you're still reading, and I hope it's still living up to your expectations. See you next chapter!


	18. Chapter 18

"This is so cool…" squeaked Fishlegs, his face positively beaming with delight. His arms were full of the supplies Hiccup had sent him to retrieve as he returned to the baths to gaze upon the mysterious, cursed dragon. He might have been forbidden from adding Danny's specie to the book, but it didn't mean he couldn't glean as much information as possible about the creature. It was a perfect opportunity, considering the day before had been too hectic to actually consider what the features might have meant. The large Viking was so enraptured with taking in every detail of the dragon's appearance that he failed to notice how uncomfortably he shifted under the man's studying eye.

"Black scales…white markings," the blonde observed, "can't be for camouflage…maybe for attracting females? Brighter colors would be more expected…" Danny's face twisted in embarrassment as he turned his head away. Fishlegs eyebrows lowered in confusion, but quickly shot up again as he realized something. He stepped a little closer to the dragon and tilted his head in thought.

"No horns or spikes," he murmured in surprise, "definitely not like the ones around here. Maybe they're a sign of maturation in his kind. If they are, I don't think he's even _started_ maturing…" At his assessment, Danny burst out in reptilian noises of indignation. A steady stream of irritated grumbles and growls followed, as though the creature were muttering darkly to himself.

"He can also understand every word you say," Hiccup said, placing a firm hand on the larger Viking's shoulder. Stunned, Fishlegs' jaw dropped. His eyes opened wide and, as understanding broke through, his arms went slack, sending everything he'd been holding tumbling to the stones beneath his feet. Blood rushed to his face in mortification. He'd been making his observations out loud right in front of his subject of study. If Danny really did understand him…

"…Every word…?" the large man squeaked nervously, looking to the other Viking.

"Every single one." At Hiccup's reply, Danny turned a glaring eye to Fishegs and nodded his own confirmation. The larger man turned an even deeper shade of red.

"I am so sorry," he offered weakly. The blonde fellow had no idea how to properly apologize to a dragon, particularly one with full comprehension of the human language. The only dragon he'd ever had to offer a real apology to was Meatlug, and he'd known her long enough to know how to cheer her up again. The man stumbled over a jumble of syllables that failed to form into actual words. He had embarrassed the creature! How was he supposed to set _that_ right? Danny snorted irritably at his miserable efforts and turned back to Hiccup with a sort of annoyed expectancy, his eyebrow raised in an unsounded question. The slender Viking frowned for a moment before nodding.

"Right. We're going to have to do this quick, before Sam starts to worry," said Hiccup. Danny nodded emphatically. Fishlegs blinked in confusion. They were moving on just like that? He opened his mouth to question it, but was stopped when the dragon's bright blue eyes landed on him once again. The man quickly snapped his jaws shut and nodded. He scrambled to gather up the fallen supplies and the two Vikings quickly set to work.

Danny found it far more difficult to hold still for the Vikings this time around. He didn't know either of the men very well, which made the process of being measured highly uncomfortable. The creature frequently blanched under their hands and nearly knocked both of them over when Fishlegs had accidentally brushed the base of one wing.

The dragon had also found it completely necessary to shove the larger man away at one point when he got distracted by the smoothness of Danny's scales. It had been incredibly creepy to have the man petting his long neck so intently and muttering about the texture to himself. Hiccup had quickly scolded Fishlegs, who had landed on his rear end from the sudden push. Blushing once again, he got back to his feet and returned to his task.

"This would have been a lot easier with that girl here," Fishlegs commented from somewhere near the dragon's left shoulder. The creature had balked again when they got a little close to his wings for comfort. Danny agreed with the man whole-heartedly, but held back on making it apparent.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure he didn't actually tell her he was coming here," Hiccup replied in frustration from the other side, "did you?" Danny bowed his head sheepishly when he realized the added question was directed toward him. He shook his head and avoided the thin man's eye.

"How did you know he wanted a saddle then?" asked the larger man, pausing in his measurements.

"He asked me."

"He _asked_ you?" Fishlegs repeated in astonished disbelief, "how?"

Hiccup and Danny looked at each other. The dragon shook his head, hoping the slender Viking would be the only one to notice. He let a pleading look cross his face. He didn't need the others to know everything just yet. The auburn-haired man closed his green eyes, took a deep breath, and turned back to his work.

"Honestly," he started, "you don't want to know."

"But—"

"You _really_ don't want to know."

A feeling of gratitude washed over the dragon. Hiccup had understood what he was asking of him and respected his wishes. He flashed a thankful grin to the man, deciding then and there he could be considered an ally. A brief smile was returned to him and soon, the two men were making their last measurements.

* * *

Sam was absolutely livid. Danny had wandered off without her while she was trying to scrounge around for something edible. She always hated when he took off without warning her. The little "BRB" he'd left in the dirt was no comfort. He always intended to "be right back", but that didn't always mean he would actually return, much less _quickly_. Not only that, she saw that he'd started gathering firewood but left in the middle of it. She scowled angrily at the small pile of branches. What was so important that he'd just up and leave in the middle of what he'd decided to do?

The girl had sat on the blanket and fumed for a good long while when she heard the soft crunch of animal-like footsteps behind her. She crossed her arms stubbornly, refusing to turn around and face him.

"So," she drawled icily, "the pretty kitty decides to come back." The footsteps stopped. An apologetic hum drifted to her ears. Sam's shoulders shrugged a little higher, the girl still refusing to turn and face her wayward friend.

"It would have been nice to know where you were going," she continued, "you know, so I wouldn't think some Viking ghost decided you were a worthy trophy. And don't even think it couldn't happen!" The dragon hummed again and resumed walking, though far more hesitantly than before.

"Seriously. 'BRB'? That's supposed to be, I don't know, _quick_. And you know what? Whatever that was, it was definitely _not_ quick!" Sam was beginning to work herself into a rant. She'd been building up quite a bit of steam while he was away. Finally, the girl whirled around to let loose the full force of her pent up fury. She'd been bracing herself for the impact of the puppy eyes she knew she would be facing. She was not, however, expecting him to have returned with a substantial bundle of chopped firewood dangling by a hefty bit of rope clamped between his jaws. The words she'd been ready to spit out died on her lips. He'd gone to get wood. More specifically, he'd gone to the _Vikings_ to get wood. Her arms fell limply to her side.

When Sam realized that her face had loosened into an expression of dumbfounded surprise, she quickly forced a glare back onto her features and turned away again.

"I'm still mad at you, Danny," she growled out, forcing her fizzled anger into her tone as she crossed her arms once again and turned away. A soft, rumbling chuckle told her that he was probably wearing that lopsided grin that was so distinctly _Danny_. It was a grin she found both infuriating and endearing, but Sam didn't want to see it right then. She was supposed to still be angry, and she didn't want to find herself grinning again just yet.

The girl listened as he put down the bundle of logs and then began to walk toward her once again. She struggled to keep her grumpiness intact as he drew closer.

"So, just the firewood, huh?" she asked, "must have taken some time to get them to figure out what you wanted if it took that long to get back." An odd, strangled noise accompanied the sound of stumbling. Her eyes widened. He'd gone for something else. She had only meant to tease him! Sam turned to look at him once more, no longer having to feign irritation.

"What did you really go there for?" she demanded. Uneasily, Danny shifted on his feet and looked at the wood. Sam was not convinced. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as the dragon returned his guilty blue gaze to her. He knew he'd been caught and still thought he could convince her otherwise. The girl glared at him. The creature hummed in sad apology and shook his head. For some reason, he didn't want to tell her. She knew he could find a way, but he wouldn't do it. She didn't like it.

Still looking quite guilty, Danny closed the distance and plopped himself down on the blanket next to her. With a huff, the girl looked away. It was going to be a while before she felt like playing nice again. Something, however, was niggling at the back of her brain. There was something she should be remembering. When the dragon began shifting uncomfortably, her brain clicked and she remembered.

"Move it! Get off the blanket!" Sam hissed, scrambling to her feet and pushing at the confused creature, "Hiccup was sitting there!" The creature looked far less than pleased, but still confused.

"He had blood blossom pollen on his boots!"

Danny's eyes widened and he quickly scrambled away from the cloth. Sam glowered at the offending item and stepped off it. With a scowl, she folded it, making sure the portion of the material with the pollen was completely sealed in.

"Looks like I'm going to have to wash it," she muttered darkly, "no way is it going to be dry before nightfall…" Danny snorted at her in amusement. When she turned to glare at him once again, he raised an eyebrow and allowed his eyes to flash green. Feeling quite stupid, Sam slapped her palm to her forehead. Ghost powers. Danny could turn the blanket intangible to get the water out.

"Shut up," she muttered, sulking. The creature immediately burst into laughter.

* * *

Together, Sam and Danny found their way to a stream. They'd had to trust the dragon's newly discovered enhanced sense of smell to figure out where it was, and he had refused to let her walk. They both knew she would never admit to being glad for it. After the day they'd had, Sam's feet were looking badly beat up. They were dirty, bruised, and split open. When they first reached the gently flowing water, the first thing the girl did was sit herself down on the bank and clean her poor feet.

She had also given Danny a quick and oddly awkward look-over. He had a patch of dried out and damaged scales on his chest and one on an elbow, but nothing that looked terribly serious. They were both very glad that it wasn't as bad as what had happened to his nose.

When their tasks were completed and the water phased out of the blanket, the two began their trek back to camp, exhausted. The sun was still shining brightly in the sky, indifferent to the weary duo. Neither had any idea what time it was, but it felt far later than it appeared. It wasn't until Sam was laying out the blankets that bits and pieces of information clicked. With a groan she stretched herself out, face down, on the blanket.

"Summer," Sam mumbled into the scratch fabric, "why does it have to be summer?" Danny hummed a questioning note and settled himself on the blanket next to her. The girl propped herself up on her elbows to turn her eyes on the dragon.

"It's summer. Probably late summer," she explained to the confused creature, "some of the plants are closely related to what I grow at home." Scaly eyebrows raised in slow understanding. She could see his thoughts sorting through the information as he turned his sights to the position of the sun. His face turned to a frown as he came to the same conclusion Sam had. They were likely pretty far North. If she was right and it really was the season she believed it to be, it was probably much later than they thought. With an annoyed groan, Danny got up and began to claw at the ground.

"What are you doing?" asked Sam. The dragon blinked at her, then looked at the firewood off to the side.

"Ohhh… A fire pit…" she murmured. She pushed herself up and onto her feet. As she began to gather up the small pile of sticks, a sudden beeping noise startled them. Sam dropped the kindling and quickly reached into her pocket. Her cell phone had finally run out of batteries and died. Taking a deep breath to call her rapidly beating heart, she looked over to see that Danny had flared out his wings at the unexpected noise. He blinked and grinned sheepishly as he slowly folded the appendages. With a roll of her eyes and an amused shake of her head, she returned the device to her pocket and began to gather up the sticks she had dropped.

* * *

A short while later, the two sat before a small fire. The sun was finally sinking toward the horizon and the temperature was beginning to fall. A comfortable silence hung in the air between them as crickets began to chirp. The two were enjoying the peaceful moment, particularly Danny. He wasn't having to rush off to fight some crazy ghost or dodge one of his parents' inventions. There wasn't any homework or studying they could possibly do at that moment either. All he needed to do was enjoy the warmth of the fire and the company of his best friend. It was nice. A contented smile crept its way across his face.

Until Sam started to snicker to herself.

The dragon looked at her quizzically and hummed a questioning note. The girl looked up at him with a smirk and shook her head. He hummed again and carefully nudged her shoulder with a knuckle of his paw. Sam snickered again and cleared her throat.

"Danny, did you know you purr?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Her smile grew wider as she watched Danny's own expression melt into one of mortification. He thought he'd escaped that embarrassment. He was certain she hadn't heard it when she failed to comment on it in the morning. Had she been sitting on that knowledge all day? With an anguished grumble, he flopped over onto his side. It was a bad idea. He'd momentarily forgotten his wings and felt like his landing had twisted something. The girl laughed again and continued in her mirth while he rolled himself onto his front and stretched the wing.

The dragon shot Sam a wounded look as her laughter died down. She continued to grin at him, though. With a grumpy snort, he looked away.

"I heard it when you had your nose shoved into that Freyja's Breath stuff," she explained. Danny grimaced. He was beginning to hope it was extinct back home. He never wanted to encounter the stuff again, especially if it made him embarrass himself like that.

"I won't tell Tucker," she promised with a knowing smirk. The dragon sighed, relieved that his other friend wouldn't find out. The silence was just beginning to settle once more when the girl spoke up again.

"Aren't you hungry?" asked Sam, "you haven't eaten anything since this morning." Danny turned his blinking gaze at her and thought. He hadn't realized that he hadn't eaten. His lips turned downward into a frown as his brows drew together. He didn't care to remember what he'd eaten, not that he really could in the first place. The creature was certain it had been a fairly large meal, though. With another blink of his eyes, he shook his head. He was pretty sure he would be famished in the morning, but he wasn't hungry. He didn't understand why he wasn't hungry either.

"…Maybe it's a dragon thing…" Sam voiced his thoughts. He shrugged and nodded. It probably was. He'd have to ask Hiccup next time… His eyes widened. With a pained cry, he lowered his head. He'd forgotten to ask about food alternatives. He was going to be stuck with regurgitated fish again. Or whatever Toothless was likely to try to feed him. Sam gave him a puzzled look. When the dragon scratched the shape of a fish into the dirt, she grimaced in understanding. Danny was glad she decided not to say anything.

When the sun finally set, Sam had pulled the blanket closer to the fire to keep warm while she slept. A few feet away, Danny dozed fitfully. Clouds had begun to roll in before darkness fell, and something inside him was complaining about the changing air pressure. Grumpily he changed his position, trying to get comfortable. Then the first raindrop fell, landing squarely between his eyes. The dragon looked up at the sky and over to his friend. She might object to his intrusion of her space…

Nonsense, he chided himself, she had willingly gone into his space the night before while he was sleeping. But then, that had been her choice. She wasn't a huge fan of chivalry. However, he was also certain she would be even less of a fan of being woken up by the rain. His inner argument continued on like that until a few more drops landed on his wings. He had started at the sensation at first, but it made his mind up for him.

As quietly as he could, he crept over to where his friend slept. He carefully lay his mass beside her and spread his wing over her sleeping form to protect her from the rain. He cringed and forced himself to hold still as the drops began to fall more steadily. Annoyed with the water falling on his face, he tentatively allowed himself to hide his head under the outstretched appendage as well. His tail, unbidden, also curled up into the leathery shelter. He was frustrated that he couldn't help the reaction, but he was finally comfortable.

His wings had finally gotten used to the steady rhythm of the rain and he was just about to drift off when something nearly made him jolt upright. Unexpectedly, Sam had managed to shift a little closer and was unconsciously snuggling up to the dragon's ribs for warmth. His heart gave an incredibly confusing thrill at the realization of what had happened. He took several deep breaths to try to calm himself before he closed his eyes once again.

Finally, he drifted off to a much deeper sleep grinning. He didn't even care that he had begun to purr.

* * *

 **A/N:** Guys. o_o This almost didn't happen this weekend. I lost a big chunk of it the other night while I was working on it. But here it is! I worked on it furiously just for you, my lovely readers!

Okay, so you get Fishlegs being, well...Fishlegs. He's finally got a chance to actually look at Danny in broad daylight and, by golly, he really wanted to take advantage of it. I mean, there was a lot he missed during the previous day's craziness. And some cuteness between Danny and Sam. I've been dying to do that ending scene with them for a while now. :3 Also... _Finally_ end of day 2 for them! Huzzah!

As always, thanks for reading! Next chapter, I'm hoping to make things...interesting. But I can't say how, because spoilers and potential plan derailment. _Anyway_... Thanks again!


	19. Chapter 19

The rain was still falling when the morning weakly greeted Dragon's Edge. The dark clouds continued the steady release of their burden as they choked out what little light the sun fought to give the island below. They stubbornly refused to move on and the lacking wind had no power to push it along or coax it away to other lands.

In the buildings below, rain met wooden rooftops with light drumming. The inhabitants were beginning to rise, some with irritated grumbles over the day's tasks that would lead them out into the damp weather, others with even less enthusiasm. One, however, woke with a start.

Hiccup had fallen asleep at his workbench. Again. His head rested on one arm, while the other fell limply at his side, awl still in hand. He'd been working late into the night, having lit a candle when the daylight failed him. He had continued, even as the wick grew short and his eyesight began to blur. The man had only meant to rest his eyes for a moment when his body decided a brief moment was not long enough and mutinously fell into a deep slumber. A small twitch at the sound of a particularly fat drop of rain was enough to send the awl clattering to the ground.

Startled by the sudden noise, Hiccup woke with a jump and found himself falling backward, tangled in the stool he'd been sitting on all night. He lay there, dazed and sprawled out for several seconds before he sat up and gingerly felt the new lump on his head. The man scowled at the workbench in front of him before he stood to inspect the project he'd fallen asleep on. It wasn't finished, but he'd gotten some decent progress on it before he'd dozed off. He was relieved when his appraisal showed he hadn't accidentally damaged the leather in his sleep.

The man had just retrieved his awl from the floor and was about to restart his work when the door behind him was thrown open with a resounding _bang!_ Startled for the second time in just a few minutes of wakefulness, the tool flew from his fingers once more to land point down where his toes would have been, had he still had that foot. He stared down at the object solidly embedded in the wooden floor and fought to calm his racing heart for only a moment before the intruder spoke up.

"Hiccup!" shouted Astrid, "Stormfly and Toothless have wandered off!" She strode forward with mock fury. Hiccup took one more deep breath and resisted the sigh that he so wanted to release. The woman had a tendency to mask many emotions with anger. She was a fierce warrior and hated anything that could be seen as a weakness. He suspected she was terribly worried.

"They probably went hunting or fishing or something," he replied with a calm shrug. He yanked his awl free of the wood and turned back to his workbench.

"In the _rain_?" she asked incredulously. The blond woman raised an eyebrow at him and planted a fist on her hip.

"Yes, in the rain." He picked up the piece of leather he'd been preparing the night before and carefully positioned the awl to continue his task.

"You can't seriously believe—What is that?" asked Astrid suspiciously, her thoughts changing mid accusation when she saw what the man was working on. She frowned as she peered over his shoulder. Hiccup didn't even look up as he picked up his small mallet and began to tap at the awl, quickly finding his rhythm.

"It's a saddle. For Danny."

"Aaaaand _why_ are you making a saddle for Danny?" Her frown redirected itself toward the man. He could hear the building suspicion in her tone. The corners of his lips turned downward.

"He doesn't have one," began Hiccup, "and his scales are way too smooth for a Dragon Rider to stay put without it. Plus, he asked me to make it for him." For several seconds, the steady tapping of his mallet meeting the awl and the ambiance of falling rain were the only sounds in the room. Astrid blinked several times, trying to process the information. She had just opened her mouth when Hiccup's tools stilled and he turned to look at her.

"Don't ask," he said, "you _really_ don't want to know." He turned back to his work, ignoring the glare the woman was now shooting in his direction.

"In that case…" Astrid began, her expression growing ever darker, "care to explain why you think Stormfly and Toothless would go looking for food? In the _rain_?" Hiccup put down his tools once more and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the workbench before him. This was going to take some explaining.

* * *

In the forest, Danny woke up to the sound of his stomach grumbling with complaint. He scowled and squeezed his eyes more tightly shut, refusing to acknowledge the beginning day. The dragon was hungry, but he didn't even want to _think_ what he might end up eating. He tried to force his mind away from the horrific mental pictures of the pile of fish from yesterday, or the possibility of Toothless showing up with the carcass of some unrecognizable animal in his jaws.

Even the idea made him feel nauseated. What made it worse was the realization that he would probably end up eating it anyway. The form he was trapped in demanded meat, and he didn't know if he could resist the instinct to feed once it recognized food. He'd only been able to hold back the day before because he had been in shock for a moment. With a despondent sigh, he curled inward more tightly, the still-falling rain pattering against his wings doing little to lift his spirits.

Time crawled onward as he struggled to ignore his hunger and fought for just a little more sleep. He couldn't move from his position anyway…not until either Sam woke up or the rain stopped. The girl was still essentially dead to the world, and likely would be for a while yet. Danny hoped she was warm enough. She was still curled up against his ribs, so he was pretty sure he would know if she was shivering. He frowned and opened one blue eye, allowing himself a quick look just to be certain.

The small cavern beneath his wing was surprisingly dark. It confused the creature. He raised his wing ever so slightly, for the dual purpose of confirming it was morning and allowing a little light in to see. The combination of dense cloud and forest nearly defeated both purposes. What measly light made it through was only enough to highlight the area in depressing shades of grey. It was, however, just enough to allow his reptilian eye a glimpse of the sleeping girl.

During the night, she had managed to tightly wrap and tangle herself in the wool cloth. He couldn't see much of her actual form, but he could see her usually smooth black hair sticking out at odd angles from the near end of the blanket. The sight made him smirk ever so slightly. As much as she said she didn't care what other people thought about her, he knew she liked to keep her inky locks as smooth as silk. In the back of his mind, he absently wondered if that's what her hair actually felt like. He found himself slightly disappointed that he couldn't just reach over and find out.

He then promptly found himself highly shocked that he even wanted to.

Danny's eyes shot wide open and he found himself holding his breath. Hesitantly, he pulled his head out from under his wing and lowered the appendage to encase his friend in the darkness once more. He stared at the forest unseeingly. He blinked as he tried to restart his brain. The creature had no idea where the thought had come from, but he was sure it was definitely a human one. For some reason, the fact that he was still having very human thoughts made him grin, awkward and confusing though they were.

The creature was still trying to sort out the why behind his thoughts when he heard a faint dragon call ringing through the trees. His ears perked up and swiveled to listen. Just as he was beginning to think he'd imagined it, the sound rolled through again, closely followed by the voice of a second dragon. Danny blinked and tilted his head in confusion. He was pretty sure the first cry he'd heard was Toothless, but he couldn't place which creature had made the other.

He was beginning to think that they were looking for him when he came to a realization. They were downwind from him. They knew exactly where he was, however, there was no possible way for him to know their position. The dragons didn't need to look for him. They were, so to speak, knocking on his door.

Danny hesitated a moment in thought. He was fairly sure they were expecting him to call back or something, but he knew making such a noise would likely wake Sam. An uncertain hum escaped his throat as he wrestled with his indecision. When he heard the two calls again, he hesitated and made his choice.

Taking calming breath, he returned their cry as quietly as he could manage in hopes that the almost nonexistent breeze would be enough to carry it to their ears through the rain. His other hope that the sound hadn't woken Sam was quickly dashed when a sharp elbow jabbed at his ribs. The grumpy mumbling that met his ears promised certain destruction before falling silent once more. His eyebrows rose in disbelief. With a cautious peek beneath his wing, he discovered Sam had fallen back to sleep. He couldn't decide if that was good luck or not.

Thundering footsteps just out of sight had him lowering his wing once more and turning to see the arrival of the creatures. He was completely unsurprised when Toothless appeared first, though the spiky, birdlike dragon following him was slightly unexpected. He frowned, trying to remember what the Vikings had called it…her… Danny shook his head. He would have to sort all of that out later. The creature was female, of that he was confusingly certain. It was another thing he would have to chalk up as a dragon thing.

Even more unexpected to him was that the one delivering the horror inducing breakfast wasn't Toothless. As he looked at the two, the smaller black dragon turned to the birdlike companion. The female soon began to gag and, within seconds, a pile of still twitching fish was heaped in front of her.

Danny wanted to gag, he really did, but he found himself salivating instead. His stomach growled at the frankly disgusting sight, reminding him how hungry he was. A conflicted whine escaped his throat. His body was demanding he eat, but his protective nature kept him from moving away from the still sleeping friend sheltered beneath his wing. He whined again, being both anchored and pulled, neither side wanting to give way.

The two dragons watched him, heads tilted in confusion. Having no sounds to convey the problem, he raised his wing ever so slightly. Toothless was the first to approach and look below the leathery appendage. A hum that seemed to express understanding rumbled from the smaller creature. With a decisive snort, the smaller creature set himself down along the edge of Danny's wing, spreading his own above where Sam slept on. He never would be able to say why he trusted Toothless after knowing him for such a short time. Perhaps it was something about being a part of the pack. Perhaps it was the budding bond between the creatures. It could have been any number of things, but he trusted the other dragon all the same and, cautiously, he pulled his wing away, allowing his new reptilian friend to take over protecting his human companion from the rain.

Once certain his friend was safe, he could feel the instincts begin to take over as his feet mutinously pulled him toward the regurgitated sea creatures. His last thought before his awareness slipped away was that he was glad Sam was still sleeping.

* * *

When Sam finally eased into the world of the waking, she could hear the pattering of rain against something above her. Her groggy mind took a moment to think how that could be. She knew she'd fallen asleep in the forest and they didn't have any sort of tent or lean-to set up, yet she was comfortably dry and warm. It was also quite dark in spite of her tendency to sleep until well after the sun had risen, when she could get away with it. Then the girl remembered the morning before. It had been nice and dark under Danny's wing. A blush rose to her cheeks. She was under Danny's wing. She was sure of it.

The girl tentatively reached her hand toward the dragon's body, uncertain if he was already awake or not. When her fingers brushed against the scales, she knew something was definitely wrong. Danny's scales were supposed to be incredibly smooth. The tough hide beneath her hand had an almost velvet-like quality to it. She frowned in confusion, the butterflies that had once flitted through her insides began to feel more like rocks settling in her stomach.

As the wing began to lift, Sam felt her muscles tense. Suddenly, a very large, scaly head was far too close to her face.

"GYAH!" she yelped. Her attempt to scramble away was quickly thwarted by the blanket she hadn't realized she was so tangled in. She had only managed to flop over and bump her head against the ground. The black reptilian face offered a gummy smile in his amusement and rumbled a rough approximation of a laugh. Her initial panic subsided as she recognized the creature and allowed her head to drop back onto the ground.

"Not funny," she grumbled sourly. After a moment of catching her breath, she began to free herself from the cloth prison and the creature raised the sheltering appendage to allow her room to sit up. Only then did she allow herself to look around for her friend. When her eyes landed on him, Sam saw a very dejected looking creature being chattered at by Stormfly. She could only suspect he'd just been given another fishy breakfast. A grimace crossed her face in sympathy at the sickening thought.

"Danny, you okay?" she called over to him, her voice laced with concern. His ears twitched toward he voiced a very depressed sounding hum. Toothless stood, reptilian concern in his eyes, and seemed ready to trot over to the larger creature when he suddenly stopped, as if just then remembering his job. Sam couldn't help grinning as the smaller black dragon looked uncertainly between her and Danny.

"Go on. I'll be fine," she told Toothless softly. The creature tilted his head, not fully understanding. The girl waved her arm toward Danny.

"Go ahead." With a satisfied huff, the dragon barreled toward Danny, playfully tackling him with a happy roar. The larger creature yipped in alarm as an impromptu wrestling match began. Stormfly squawked in what Sam assumed was a cheerful manner, her wings flapping eagerly, head bobbing almost like a parrot.

The girl couldn't help but laugh at the sight. Toothless had effectively pulled Danny out of his sulking, and the three creatures looked as if they were genuinely beginning to have fun. She smiled as she pulled the blanket over her head to better protect herself from the rain. The wool was beginning to get heavy, but at least she no longer felt the annoying drips against her scalp.

They seemed almost evenly matched, Danny quickly learning from the more experienced dragon, when the larger creature suddenly froze and was quickly pinned. Sam's eyes widened in shock as she saw the familiar misted breath escape her friend's nostrils. The two looked at each other while Toothless gloated in his victory. Stormfly cheerfully rumbled her own call and nudged encouragingly at Danny's shoulder with her nose. The celebration soon ceased when a chill breeze picked up. Sam shivered and pulled the blanket tighter around herself in spite of its increasing dampness.

The two native dragons fell quiet and began to look around skittishly. The chill seemed to be making them nervous, and Sam had a pretty good idea why.

"Danny," she mumbled through her teeth, "better get a move on before these guys notice you leaving…" With a subtle nod, the larger creature began to slink away. It was up to Sam to divert their attention.

"Oh no!" she cried melodramatically, throwing her hands into the air, "I am ever so afraid! Something creepy is happening!" The girl felt utterly ridiculous, putting on an act for creatures whose limits of understanding were unknown to her. It was working though. The two turned their full, confused attention on her. On she went, waving her arms theatrically until Danny had completely disappeared and a flash of light lit up the gaps between the trees. With a heavy sigh, she dropped her arms. She looked at the blanket, now thoroughly soaked and scowled. The girl, left with little choice, plopped herself onto the ground next to Toothless and tugged his wing over her head. Even more confused, the creature sat next to her and shifted his wing to allow her the shelter she sought. His head continued to pivot nervously with each breath of chilly breeze that swept through, but he stayed put. Stormfly soon hunkered down next to them, as though afraid to return to the base on her own.

It seemed to Sam that dragons were probably just as afraid of ghosts as most humans. The behavior of the Night Terror flock was beginning to make a lot more horrible sense to her.

* * *

"So let me get this straight…" Astrid was saying, "that dragon—"

"Danny," Hiccup corrected. He'd given up on trying to work during his explanation.

" _Danny_ ," she repeated darkly, "who Sam claimed yesterday has a bunch of curses on him… Not only can't fly, but he can't hunt _or_ fish, so Toothless and Stormfly went to feed him like he's the pack's baby?" The Viking woman was incredulous.

"More or less," the man sighed. He had explained as much of what he could three times. Astrid was clearly finding it very hard to believe that the large creature was being seen as anything less than an adult by the rest of the dragons. He wasn't entirely certain himself how Sam could tell he was still a juvenile if she didn't have many other dragons to really judge by, but that was a question for another time.

"And you believe that because…?" Astrid let the question drop off, rolling her hand in expectation of an answer.

"Sam told me that she's seen it happen with other animals," he explained while Astrid rolled her eyes and turned to the window, "they find abandoned young and take care of them, sometimes from oth—"

"What is _that_?!" Astrid suddenly interrupted, her eyes wide with astonishment and fear. Her arm shot out to point at something in the sky. Hiccup quickly stood to see what had alarmed her so badly. There, high above the island, was a white dragon, glowing brightly against the dark clouds. He hung in the air, hovering with barely even a flap of his wings. The creature seemed to be searching frantically for something and, just as suddenly as he had been seen, he vanished, invisible to anything that cared to look for him.

Hiccup paled. He had no clue what Danny was doing in that form. The vision of him just floating like that was still unnerving. It wasn't natural. The man shuddered and forced himself to breathe. Astrid tore her eyes away from the sky to look at him with an eyebrow raised in confusion and thinly veiled fright.

"I think that qualifies as another thing you really don't want to know…" he muttered shakily. The woman glowered darkly at him. He braced himself for impact, knowing she hated being kept in the dark about things. Unexpectedly she simply stormed out. With a sigh of relief, he took another quick look out the window before following her out the door. If something was happening on their island, he needed to know, and there was only one source who would be able to give him the information if Danny was involved.

* * *

 **A/N:** GRAWR! D: I liiiiiive!

...

Guys. I'm sorry. ;_; I got all kinds of distracted last week and then I got a little stuck. But now it's moving again, so...yay? Also...I'm sorry if this chapter's ending feels like a cliffhanger to you. The next bit is just...I don't want to break it up. I tried so hard to avoid it, but it just wouldn't let me.

Thank you all for sticking around in spite of my absence. I love you guys. Like, seriously. You all leave me such warm fuzzy reviews, and it always brightens my day when a new one arrives.

As always, thanks for reading, both to you veterans of the story (you rock!) and to the newcomers. Seriously. Much love.


	20. Chapter 20

Danny was frustrated. He hovered over the island invisibly, the cold rain falling through his intangible form. He was having to play hot and cold with the chilly breath to narrow down their location of whatever had triggered his ghost sense, and it wasn't going quickly. The dragon was also having to fly higher than he wanted to, a necessity to make sure he didn't accidentally stumble into the areas inhabited by the Odin's Rose or Freyja's Breath. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he accidentally took himself out of the fight before he even found it. His snout still felt a little crispy from his accidental encounter with just the _pollen_ of the first. The other plant…He remembered far too well how it's fragrance pulled him in, ever so gently drowning his thoughts and smothering his ability to resist it. The ghostly side of him had wanted it. Badly. It frightened him.

In all honesty, he preferred dealing with Blood Blossoms and their like. They were far more straight-forward plants. They were dangerous to ghosts and made no effort to disguise that fact. On the other hand, Danny had no idea how dangerous the Freyja's Breath was on its own. He hadn't been vanquished by it, but he was so incapacitated he might not have noticed if something else came along to finish the job.

Realizing he'd gotten lost in his thoughts, Danny shook his head and circled around again. He needed to focus. The Vikings didn't have experience with ghosts, so whoever it was, they probably weren't local. Besides, if he were having to choose a haunt, he would definitely steer clear of this island. Especially with those plants. His eyes grew wide and he mentally kicked himself.

With a burst of speed, he flew off to where he vaguely remembered finding the Freyja's breath. Cautiously keeping himself upwind of the plant's scent, he floated high above the scrubby field. His eyes narrowed as he watched the landscape below.

There, drifting along near the ground, was a large man with a mad tangle of blond hair, clothed in ragged furs and bits of cracking leather armor. A wild beard nearly concealed the entirety of his green-skinned face. Bleary, beady, red eyes roamed over the landscape as he continued forward, almost in a daze. The dragon suspected the ghost had been invisible until that moment, his form falling back into the visible spectrum as his awareness began to drift. He was caught in the trail of the flower's scent, helpless to do anything but follow the aroma to its source.

Danny scowled uneasily. The ghost was getting far too close to the treacherous plant. He knew he needed to get the fellow away from it, just as he knew the action would be far from appreciated. In any case, he had to try. That ghost couldn't stay on the island. It wasn't his to haunt. Besides, if the fellow turned out to be friendly, he just might would be willing to give some information. The dragon rolled his eyes at his own thought. He never had _that_ kind of luck. Hoping he didn't look too threatening, he floated down toward the ground, praying that he could accomplish his goal without getting ensnared by the tantalizing sweetness.

As he neared the ghost's position, he began to catch the faint perfume of the Freyja's Breath. He shook his head, trying to keep his thoughts clear as he drifted ever closer. When he realized his motion was no longer bringing him toward the specter, he forced himself to stop. Resisting the marvelous aroma was far more difficult than he had expected. With another shake of his head, he retreated as quickly as he could manage. It was not an impressive speed by any means, but it got him free of the plant's spell.

His mind clear once again, Danny growled low in his throat. He needed to get to the ghostly man, but he needed to do it quickly enough to not get caught up in the scent. If he could fly through quickly enough, just maybe… With a scowl of determination, he took to the sky. Then, after a pause to ready himself, he took a deep breath, held it, and dove toward the ground.

Faster and faster he flew, accelerating rapidly as he drew nearer to the dazed ghost. As he drew ever nearer, he could imagine the scent. His nostrils begged for the scent that he fiercely denied himself. In a flash, he whipped by the dreaded shrub and tackled the specter. Still, he plowed forward, not stopping until he was, hopefully, clear of the scent. Finally, he allowed himself to halt, dropping the translucent man roughly to the ground.

The dragon, floating near to the ground, took great gulps of air to soothe the burning of his lungs. He had recently learned that, while ghosts didn't actually need to breathe, it was a habit nearly all of them shared. With half of him still needing his functioning lungs, he still wasn't certain if that applied to him. In the back of his mind, he decided he would need to ask his few allies about it when he and Sam found their way home.

A few yards away from him, the unknown ghost rubbed his head and looked around, still addled from the Freyja's Breath. The white dragon watched apprehensively as the specter drifted back into the air and looked around. When his tiny red eyes landed on Danny, the ghosts expression grew dark.

"Dragon!" he cried, his voice deep and gravelly, "why do your ilk yet plague me?!" Both hands reached behind his back to bring forward a matching pair of worn and chipped axes that Danny was certain hadn't been there before. He raised the weapons and yelled fiercely, spittle flying from his lips to settle in the tangle of his massive beard. As the livid ghost shot forward, the creature braced himself for the coming fight. He realized very quickly that looking for this ghost had been a terribly stupid idea.

* * *

Hiccup ran along the wooden walkway, the rhythmic splash and thunk of his steps echoing along behind him. He knew the white dragon had been Danny. He still wasn't entirely sure he believed the creature could be a ghost, but he knew that whatever he was, he didn't seem all that willing to just go around showing off that "curse" all willy-nilly. A scowl crossed his face as he pushed his rain-drenched hair out of his eyes. Whatever had drawn him out like that was likely bad news. The man was so caught up in his thoughts, he almost didn't hear the voice frantically calling his name.

"Hiccup! _Hiccup_!" cried Fishlegs. The large Viking was sprinting to catch up, nearly slipping on the wet planks as he scurried forward. The lankier man came to a reluctant halt allowing for his blonde friend to reach him.

"Hiccup," panted Fishlegs, doubling over to catch his breath.

"What's going on?" the auburn-haired man asked worriedly.

"The…the dragons," Fishlegs wheezed, swallowing another lungful of air, "dragons…freaking out…"

Hiccup frowned, his worry growing. His green eyes turned to the dark clouds almost seeking the glowing creature he knew was no longer there. He needed to know what was going on. For all he knew, Toothless and Stormfly could have gotten caught up in whatever it was. On the other hand, the dragons still in the stable needed tending.

"The Night Terrors," continued Fishlegs with another wheeze, "they're hiding in the stable." The larger man seemed to not notice his companion's hesitation. Hiccup turned his gaze back to the other Viking, his brows drawing closer together. He bit his lip as his mind raced. He began to pace anxiously, his hands roughly pulling back the wet hair plastered to his scalp. The other man, finally breathing more easily, watched on, his hands wringing with his barely suppressed panic.

After what seemed like ages, Hiccup finally came to a decision.

"Grab everyone and get them to the stables," he instructed Fishlegs, "light some torches or something…"

"But—"

"Toothless and Stormfly are out there," continued Hiccup, ignoring the other man's attempted interruption, "I'm going to try to find them and figure out what's going on. You guys need to find a way to calm down the dragons." Fishlegs began to sputter a worried protest, but the slender man began to jog backwards away from him.

"I'll hurry back as soon as I can!" Hiccup called back with a wave, then turned and began to run as fast as he could. His large friend had no choice but to watch him leave, his mouth hanging open in shock and confusion.

* * *

Sam was getting tired of waiting. She was huddled close to Toothless for warmth, his wing still draped over her head. The eerie chill still hung in the air and the dragons still watched their surroundings nervously. The girl frowned in thought. There was no thermos to capture the spectral visitor and Danny still hadn't fully figured out how things worked in his new form. Not only that, but he had no backup, no support with anti-ghost weapons in case things went south. Yes, he tended to learn quickly under pressure, but he also got thrown around a lot more frequently when the learning curve was as steep as she was certain it would be.

The girl groaned miserably as her worries cycled through her head, building on each other and fueling her apprehension. Time seemed to crawl onward, minute creeping ever so slowly into the next minute, punctuated only by the rain pattering against the dragons' leathery hides. The creatures started a few times at the sound of a small, terrified animal darting from hiding place to hiding place, rustling the low-lying leaves of shrubs in its wake. After a while of this, she could feel their nervousness wearing on her and she began to jump at the sounds right along with them.

When Toothless suddenly perked up and swiveled his head around. He began to fidget, a low whine in his throat giving away his discomfort at being unable to stay and run at the same time. Sam poked her head out from under the wing to see where he was looking. Stormfly was already on her feet and anxiously prancing in place, watching the forest for movement. After several seconds, she finally understood their reactions. Ringing through the trees was Hiccup's voice calling, not only for Toothless and Stormfly, but for Sam as well. The black dragon bugled his eager response. The other creature soon chimed in, though far more nervously. With a frown, the girl decided it would be best to add her own voice to the clamor.

"We're over here, Hiccup!" she shouted, her hands raised to cup her mouth in an effort to amplify her cry. Moments later, the man found his way to where Sam waited with the creatures. He was stumbling and gasping for breath, looking very much like he'd been thrown into the ocean. It took her far longer than she cared to admit to realize that he'd had a long way to run in the rain.

"There you are!" he breathed, one hand clutching at his tunic while he fought for air. Toothless raised his other wing and hummed his offer. With another heaved breath, the Viking trudged forward to flop down ungracefully under the appendage.

"Thanks, bud," he murmured gratefully. The dragon replied with another hum. Several seconds passed and neither human chose to speak. Sam simply didn't know what to say, though she suspected Hiccup was still trying to catch his breath. Toothless seemed to have cheered greatly with the Viking's presence and Stormfly seemed to have started calming down with the brightening of the other dragon's spirits.

After what seemed like ages, Hiccup breached the silence between them.

"Where did Danny go?" he asked, his voice far too calm. Sam leaned forward in attempt to see him from the other side of Toothless. The dripping of rain against her hair had her quickly retreating back into the shelter of the dragon's wing. She bit her lip for a moment in thought as she scowled at the precipitation. Her shoulders slumped as she sighed. She and Danny had already shared quite a bit of information with the man. There was no longer any point trying to hide things from him.

"You remember how that flock of little dragons was all freaked out when you guys brought us to the island?" asked Sam. She certainly remembered it.

"Yeah?" Hiccup replied curiously. Sam could hear himself shifting to sit upright.

"Well…" she started hesitantly, "it's actually kind of connected… You have a bit of a ghost problem." The girl bit her thumbnail and waited for this response. A few heartbeats of silence and then the man burst into disbelieving laughter.

"You're kidding, right?" he asked, still chuckling.

"I really wish I was," she said dejectedly, "Danny can sense them. We weren't close enough for it that night, but with the bloo—er…Odin's Rose…" Sam allowed her words to drift as she tried to find a better way to explain. The Viking had quit laughing at some point. The girl could only hope he believed her.

"Blood blossoms have natural anti-ghost properties," she started again, "ghosts can't cross over a line of them, not even from high above. It was kind of weird that a bunch of creatures that spooked would stay in such an exposed place, but if there were an aggressive ghost, well, you couldn't ask for a safer place. We thought something like that was going on, but we weren't sure until last night."

"Then this morning, out of the blue, his ghost sense goes off," she continued, her tone giving away her worried annoyance, "and of course, off he goes! Fighting ghosts…saving the world… Forgetting he has no way of actually _catching_ the ghost. Heck, he hardly even knows how to use his ghost powers as a dragon, but hey! It's all good! He's Danny freaking _Phantom!_ " Sam suddenly clapped her hands over her mouth, shocked at herself. She hadn't meant to go on a rant. She had given away far too much. Her mind was racing, trying to think of some way to cover her slip. She really hoped she hadn't messed up the time stream too badly. The fact that Hiccup was oddly silent was worrying her. How much had he actually figured out?

"So…he's really part ghost?" the man asked slowly.

"…Yeah…"

"How does something like that happen?"

Sam smirked ruefully. She still remembered that day in vivid detail. After all, she and Danny had only had to live through it twice.

"A living being stands at the doorway to the underworld and demands to be let in," she said darkly. The humans fell silent once again, and the rain continued to fall.

* * *

Danny was struggling. The fierce blonde ghost may not have had much experience fighting other ghosts. Fighting in general, though? He was obviously a well-seasoned veteran at that. The dragon, on the other hand, was struggling to re-learn his powers. He was starting to get a handle on the whole "ghostly fire-breathing" thing, but it felt suspiciously similar to vomiting. In the back of his mind, he found himself wondering exactly how embarrassing it would be if he accidentally did just that in front of his opponent.

He had attempted communicating, he really did. But it just came out as a series of roars, and the specter clearly hadn't taken kindly to it. That left him to flounder in his attempts to defend himself and attack back. The dual axes flashed wildly before him. Danny tumbled this way and that in the air, his efforts barely keeping him out of reach of the ghastly blades.

The dragon attempted an attack after a particularly nasty flourish of the ghost's axes. His eyes flared as he rushed forward and spat out the acrid green fire, barely holding back his gag reflex at the sensation combined with the bitter taste. The ghostly man shouted in alarm and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the ectoplasmic flames. Danny turned to make another pass, but found himself suddenly tackled and thrown to the ground. Had he not been turned into such a durable creature, he was certain the collision with the specter would have resulted in a cracked rib or two. He likely would have at least had a sprain from his forced re-acquaintance with the muddy earth below him. The dragon shook his head and glared at his opponent.

"I'll have your hide, foul beast!" the ghost cried angrily, aiming another swing toward the creature. Danny was ever _so_ thrilled to hear that someone else wanted his pelt. He would have rolled his eyes in his annoyance and disgust, if he weren't so busy trying not to get split in half. Half. Split. Duplicate. The dragon could have kicked himself. He'd managed it earlier. Perhaps he could do it again.

The moment he spared to think slowed his movements and he found himself suddenly sporting a new wound on his left wing. His pained roar split the air in agony. Of course the guy had to get the wing! If it were anywhere else, he might could have shrugged it off, but the wings were still too new to him…too sensitive…too…alien. He fell back a little way, trying to buy himself a moment to recompose himself. If his idea was to work, he would likely only get one shot at it.

The ghost he fought seemed to have other ideas, though. Barely having a second to even breath, the barrage continued. On they battled. Danny was very much wishing he could use the full array of abilities he'd been training for so many months. He was quickly losing any sort of advantage he thought he had. His attempts at manipulating his ecto energies were all failing spectacularly and unpredictably. The larger form he was stuck in was also using up his reserves far more quickly than he expected. He needed to end the fight. Quickly. All he needed was an opening.

And he found it.

The ghost was becoming more and more angry as the battle wore on. In a moment of frustration, he paused to howl his rage and brandish his axes in a display of fury. The moment of posturing was all Danny needed. He froze and concentrated, hoping the ghost mistook it as a sign of intimidation. The dragon mentally pulled at his very being and pushed his energy out as solidly as he could. With a pop and a brief moment of disorientation, he found himself existing in multiple places. A wicket smile crossed three scaly faces as a sense of success washed over him. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep it up long. But he didn't have to. The shocked look on the ghost's face was confirmation enough that his idea had worked.

Three identical roars ripped through the air as Danny and his two duplicates shot toward the ghost. The specter took off as fast as his own flight would allow. The dragons were faster though, constantly swooping down and snapping at his heels all the way to the edge of the island. Satisfied that the ghostly man had been chased off, Danny smugly watched through several eyes as he shook his fist and flew away.

Then the exhaustion hit. Feeling dizzy, he let his duplicates vanish. It was time to head back to Sam. He shuddered at the thought of having his wing treated, but he knew it was necessary. With a sigh, he used his dwindling energy to turn invisible and began to fly back.

* * *

 **A/N:** Guys. o_o This chapter did _not_ want to cooperate, particularly the first scene. Seriously. Also...Ta-da! My first ever battle scene! I know it's a bit short and abrupt, but it didn't want to cooperate either, and I'm pretty sure you all prefer that being resolved.

Anywut...Thanks for all the reviews again, guys! And new followers/favoriters! Holy cow! :D Thanks!

Okay, I gotta tell you guys something... I know there are some of you who are just waiting for a big reveal and waiting for Danny to finally get that amulet out of himself...but it's going to be a little while yet before I let anything remotely like that happen. He's got something he has to realize first, and, well...They call him clueless for a reason. Also...Sequel. There are a few things that can't happen how you're expecting if my sequel is going to work how I want it to. I'm hoping you're all willing to stick around for it. ;_; I'm already astounded that so many of you have already stuck with me this far, I mean, seriously. I love you guys.

Ahem...

As always, thanks for reading, my lovely, lovely peoples! :3


	21. Chapter 21

Hiccup and Sam sat in silence for quite a while. The Viking was thoroughly confused by what the girl had clearly not meant to say. From what he could make of it, Danny knew his "ghost" powers inside and out. But the creature was a dragon… If he knew those powers so well, how could he not know how to use them as what he was? He frowned at the thought. There was something deeper to it. He knew there was a curse that made him think like a human. The creature's methods of communication made it clear he'd had that curse for quite a while. But the fact that Danny had so much trouble functioning made it seem like he'd received the hex only a few days before. So what was the truth? And then there was the 'Danny Phantom' part that she accidentally slipped in. Catching ghosts and saving the world? He had to be well known where they were from. The Viking would even hazard a guess that he was fairly well known wherever they were from. But why be so secretive? In frustration, the man growled at himself and mussed his hair harshly, his fingers pulling along his scalp fiercely at his irritating confusion.

"Hiccup?" said the girl, her wavering voice breaking the silence from the other side of Toothless. The man let out a heavy sigh, trying to let go of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he replied sullenly. He leaned back onto his hands, then quickly changed his mind when his fingers squished into the mud.

"Please don't write his name anywhere…"

"What?" Hiccup's voice shot up embarrassingly in his confusion. With a scowl, he cleared his throat and wiped his muddy hands on his leggings.

"I mean," he started again, "why don't you want me writing even his name? I get the whole 'don't write his abilities' thing, but why not even his name?"

"It's complicated," answered Sam, "I know you don't have any reason to believe me, but it might seriously mess things up where we're from if you make any sort of record of us being here." It was hardly an explanation, and that frustrated the man even more. Toothless hummed at him in concern, but he ignored it.

"You know," Hiccup said with a frown, "that would be a lot easier to promise if you told me the whole story."

"I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"It's com—"

"Complicated," Hiccup finished for her with a sigh, "I figured." The man shook his head. His questions weren't getting him anywhere but lost. The puzzle he thought nearly solved suddenly had extra pieces and he had no idea what to do with them. The book wasn't going anywhere but Berk where it would only be seen by the people of his clan. How could that possibly affect a place that was probably leagues upon leagues away?

The distant sound of dragons roaring pulled his mind away from his thoughts. It sounded like more than one, but all the creatures he was familiar with were either present, and chattering anxiously, or hiding in the stables. Except Danny. It took an embarrassingly long time for him to realize the new dragon had used that duplication trick. Was he so desperate that he would use an ability Sam had claimed he had trouble with?

Toothless was on his feet once more, prancing worriedly and struggling to keep his wings steady over the humans. Stormfly stood up shortly after and began to pace. It was an odd reaction. Like they were desperate to run and help, but found it impossible to do just that.

"Why haven't they left already?" he wondered to himself, his eyes darting between the creatures.

"Danny trusted Toothless with a job," said the girl, her voice somewhere between resigned and irritated. Hiccup blinked in surprise.

"What job?"

"Watching over the damsel in distress, of course." Sam's words were dripping with disgust. It reminded the Viking of Astrid. She hated to be left out of a fight, nearly as much as she hated to be protected. A grin crossed his face at the thought. Perhaps the two had more in common than he expected.

The expression soon gave way to a frown. Danny's behavior was making even less sense. He'd been wondering why the girl was huddled under Toothless' wing rather than being with her own dragon. She was clearly important to him; his extreme possessiveness where she was concerned left no question of that. So why would he so readily leave her to the care of a creature he'd threatened so openly only a couple of days before? The man propped his elbows on his knees and sank his face into his hands. He immediately regretted the action, though. Now he was getting a headache _and_ his face had mud on it.

* * *

Not far away, Danny was floating back to where he had left his friend. He was exhausted and sore, and his wing was oozing bright green ectoplasm that dripped sluggishly onto the forest floor. The still falling rain quickly washed it away, removing all trace of his passing. When he could hear the rise and fall of human voices he paused and listened with a frown. There hadn't been any other people with Sam when he left, only the two dragons. A tiny flare of irritation rose in the back of his weary mind as he recognized the source of the voice.

 _Mine…_ The word rolled through his thoughts possessively. Danny shook his head trying to keep in control of himself. He was getting too close to the other dragons to lose it. In the blink of a green eye and flash of light, he reverted to his black scaled form and resumed his course, trudging tiredly through the forest with his wing tucked ever so gingerly against his side.

As he cleared the trees that blocked his view, he was greeted with what sounded like a strange, reptilian cheer. Apparently Toothless and Stormfly were glad to see him back. The birdlike dragon rushed to his side and began to inspect him. The smaller black dragon pranced in place for a moment, clearly antsy to do the same. When Sam bolted out from under his wing to wrap her arms around Danny's neck, Toothless seemed to feel freed from his obligation. Anxiously, the creature joined in on the inspection of the clearly wounded dragon.

Hiccup was not far behind in joining the assessment, though he definitely looked more glum. And muddy. The sight of the filth smeared all over the Viking made a tired chuckle rumble in Danny's chest. The man looked down at himself and frowned, his shoulders slumping.

"Glad I could entertain you," he mumbled, his eyes rolling at the creature.

Still laughing to himself, Danny sunk down to the ground. He was having trouble holding himself up and his body was just feeling so _heavy_. Absently, he noted that Sam had let go of his neck and he slowly looked around for her. He was shocked back to the present when something grabbed his wounded wing and pulled. The dragon roared and tried to scrabble to his feet, only to find himself pinned. For once, it wasn't Toothless.

No, this time, it was Stormfly. Toothless had his gummy jaws clamped on the bony edge of his wing, cautiously pulling it out, away from his side. Danny flailed, trying to break free, but he simply didn't have the energy.

"Hold still!" barked Sam's voice. She was suddenly by his head again, her tiny hand grabbing onto the cartilage of his fin-like ear. When had she gotten there? The dragon ceased his struggles, his mind slowly churning to try to figure out where she could have been and how she got back without his notice. Somewhere near his wing, Danny could hear Hiccup whistle lowly, either in disbelief or astonishment. The creature wasn't sure he wanted to know which it was.

"How bad is it?" the girl asked. Her free hand began to stroke the creature's head in a gesture of comfort. He wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it, but he knew it wasn't _entirely_ unpleasant.

"Bad," replied the Viking solemnly, "managed to put a nasty hole straight through…" Danny whined. He hadn't realized the ghost had done so much damage. He'd probably bled a lot more than he thought he did. No wonder he was so tired and unfocused. It didn't help that the creature had used so much energy on the fight to begin with.

"How long would it normally take to heal?"

"Something like this?" the man gestured toward the injury, "a month, probably. Maybe longer…" Sam was silent a moment.

"We'll need to stitch it up…" she muttered quietly. Danny's head jerked up. He didn't like the sound of that. Another whine escaped his throat. He could heal just fine. He always did. The dragon was sure it wouldn't take that long for him. He healed a lot more quickly than average since he'd gained his ghost powers. Granted, he'd never really had a _hole_ pierced through anything, but he didn't think it could possibly be _that_ bad.

"You're suggesting we stitch up a _dragon_?" Hiccup asked slowly, "Sam, I don't know if you've noticed this, but he has claws and some pretty sharp looking teeth. Not to mention, even if we _could_ stitch up his wing without him sort of _killing_ us, I don't exactly have tools here and this rain isn't going to help keep anything dry enough for it to do him any good." The man crossed his arms and tapped his foot, waiting for the girl to reply.

"I think…" she said after a long moment of thought, "I think we need to go back to the base…" Her words were more directed to Danny. His ears drooped. He had been hoping she wouldn't say those words. He had been hoping she would decide he'd be fine on his own. The girl, however, was more worried than he had realized. Was his wing really that bad?

"You sure about this?" asked Hiccup warily. He stepped away from the wing, and Toothless hesitantly let go, allowing Danny to carefully refold it. The creature winced at the resulting sting from the motion. The reaction didn't escape his friend's notice.

"Positive," she said, her face taking on a determined scowl.

* * *

After a few minutes spent gathering the few supplies they had been lent and convincing Danny it would be better for Sam to ride on Stormfly, the group set off toward the base. Hiccup had chosen to walk, leaving Toothless free to fuss over the larger creature, eagerly encouraging him to keep moving whenever he slowed down.

The journey was agonizingly slow. Little was said between the humans for quite a while. Sam barely said anything to Danny, either. She didn't want him to hear her sound as cold or as worried as she felt. She was strong. The girl didn't want him to start thinking she was anything less than that. Besides, she was having a bit of a difficult time directing Stormfly, and trying to talk to him would require more attention than she had to spare. The girl hadn't had to steer Danny, not that she would, even if she could. This more brightly colored dragon, though, was getting distracted and kept trying to turn back to check on the larger creature.

The creature Sam was perched on didn't have a saddle either, which wasn't helping any. Granted, her scales weren't nearly as glassy as Danny's, even in spite of the water. It made it easier to keep herself from falling off, but it compounded the direction problem. She wasn't even sure how to communicate with the creature. It was a little embarrassing. She'd always seen herself to be someone who understands creatures fairly well, but being unable to connect with this one was definitely bruising her ego.

"There's one thing that's been bothering me," Hiccup said suddenly. Sam, startled, jumped a bit, accidentally pulling at the head spikes she had firmly in her grip. Stormfly screeched in surprise and the girl tried to murmur softly to comfort the creature. She wasn't entirely sure it actually helped.

"Sorry," the Viking said with a wince, "didn't mean to startle you."

"Whatever. What is it?"

"How did these guys sense that ghost thing?" he asked, gesturing toward Toothless and the dragon she sat on.

"We haven't quite figured that out yet…" she started, forcing herself not to let her teeth chatter from the cold of the rain, "but we think it has something to do with air temperature and barometr…Errr…What the actual temperature is and what the atmosphere tells animals the temperature should be. If they don't feel like they match, it scares animals. If it's way off, then even people can feel it. Some ghosts do that without even realizing it. Danny used to. He still can't help it sometimes." The large dragon grumbled tiredly. Sam wasn't sure if it was in agreement or irritation. A frown crossed her face as her frame began to shiver. They were almost at their destination. She could see the partially opened dome looming ahead of them. Was it really only yesterday they had woken up under those panels? It seemed like ages ago. A shiver ran down her spine again and she suddenly found herself very much looking forward to a dry shelter.

Her temporary distraction had let Stormfly's attention wander again, and Sam suddenly found herself having to fight to direct the creature onward. The dragon hummed her irritation and turned forward again with a snort. The girl didn't think she was going to be very fond of this creature.

* * *

Finally, they were at the dome…and going past it. Hiccup insisted they continue on to the stable where it was supposedly drier and far warmer. Sam could no longer contain her shivering. Even Danny, the dragon fighting just to stay aware of his own footsteps, was able to notice. He had agreed with the Viking's decision and forced himself to keep ambling forward. A small stumble had Toothless at his side instantly, humming ever so encouragingly like he had been almost the entire time. If he weren't so drained, he probably would have smiled.

And then, after what seemed like years, Danny suddenly realized the rain was no longer falling on his head. Blearily, he looked around. They were in a wooden structure that he assumed was the stable, though the stalls looked more like cages. He decided he didn't like it. From the sounds of it, Sam didn't either. He could hear her voice, but he couldn't quite make out what she was saying. He could hear Hiccup arguing back. He narrowed his eyes angrily. How dare the Viking argue with _his_ Sam. He could hear other voices joining the argument. The creature couldn't quite make sense of what exactly they were arguing about, but he didn't like when the tone sounded like they were arguing with Sam.

The dragon found his thoughts side-tracked, though, when Toothless hummed and nudged his side. Confused, he blinked at the other creature. Another nudge and a glance at the ground clarified things. At least, Danny hoped he got the message. In any case, he gladly collapsed to the floor, removing his weight from his weary legs. He dropped his head more gently to rest his aching neck muscles at long last.

He had just barely felt himself drift off when he was pulled back to vague awareness by Sam's voice. He opened one big, blue eye to peer up at her tiredly. The creature hummed a questioning note. He hadn't heard a single thing she said.

"Hiccup's going to get his things…I'll make sure they're sterilized… But…" she hesitated, "they don't exactly have anything to, well, numb your wing…" Danny frowned. He'd forgotten for a moment that they wanted to stitch his wing back together.

"Hiccup's going to have the other dragons hold you down," she continued, "he'll get Toothless to hold your wing steady." The girl paused again and Danny raised an eyebrow at her. Another worried voice spoke nearby. He didn't care who it was or what they were saying. He only cared what Sam was trying to tell him, and it was sounding like they expected the worst from the endeavor. Now his friend was holding something back. He hummed for her to continue, though it came out as more of a whine thanks to how exhausted he was.

"You know," she said, trying to sound hopeful, "it might be easier for you if Snoot Boot brings back some of that Freyja's Bre—" Danny cut her off with a growl. The Girl stumbled backward and landed on her rump in fright. The dragon's eyes widened. He hadn't meant to frighten her. The only way he could apologize was to whimper while Toothless scolded him.

Sam clutched the front of her shirt as she stared at the creature. Someone rushed to her side to help her up. Someone blonde and definitely female. He couldn't remember her name, but it wasn't important right then. His limited focus was on Sam. _His_ Sam. Thinking. Trying to understand. Even through the haze that clouded his mind, he could see the moment of her comprehension.

"You don't want it, do you," she stated. Danny flopped his head from side to side, too tired to actually shake his head properly. He didn't want anything to do with the plant, even if it would make the stitches more bearable. The girl frowned and nodded.

"Okay… No Freyja's breath." He could hear the confusion of the other humans still in the room.

When Hiccup returned with his supplies, Sam did her best to make sure they were as sterilized as possible. Soon, the dragon was dog-piled by the other creatures, his head resting in Sam's lap at her insistence. Once assured Danny couldn't move, Hiccup instructed Toothless to pull the injured wing open. The larger creature shuddered as the gummy jaws clamped on the wing bones once again and began to pull. Some unfamiliar tiny creatures, all black except one, decided to join in the efforts, only to be shooed away from the wing by one of the Vikings. Not to be left out, they decided to help pin the much larger creature down.

He knew things were about to start when Sam began to stroke his head.

"So," she began to mumble to him, "I was thinking I'd buy you dinner when we get back home. Maybe one of those horrible Mega Mighty Meaty Melt monstrosities at the Nasty burger… Or a pizza with whatever you want on it…"

He didn't hear anything she said after that. The first stab of the needle ripped a roar of pain from his throat. His head jerked back, but Sam quickly grabbed around his neck, holding him down and probably trying to say something comforting. He wanted to bite, to claw, to rip something apart. The only things stopping him was the pile of creatures that pinned down his body and the little human he couldn't bear to hurt.

He felt a few more agonizing stabs of the needle going through the tender membrane he still hadn't gotten used to. His cries died down to pained whimpers before he finally felt the sweet, icy grip of unconsciousness pull him away. The last thing he thought he heard was Sam's voice.

"I think he's finally passed out…"

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, after far too long of a wait (by the way, sorry for the absence) we finally have chapter 21. The next few chapters might be a little slow coming out. For reasons. *shifty eyes* Also, next chapter is going to see a bit of a time jump, I think. Probably. Not a whole lot I can say right now, other than I nearly scrapped the beginning scene several times and actually scrapped it maybe twice. BUT! It's there now. Huzzah.

Ugh...I hope the injury on Danny's wing doesn't mean I need to change the rating on this. I tried very hard not to be graphic with it... If you happen to notice anything I goofed up in this chapter, please, kindly send me a PM to let me know so I can correct it. Particularly if you know medicine. I did some research about lacerations, but that's the best I could come up with.

As always, thanks for reading!


	22. Chapter 22

The stitches went far more quickly after the dragon passed out. Toothless had been a little frantic when the wing he was holding suddenly went slack. He'd nearly dropped the appendage until Hiccup scolded him and ordered him to keep it straight. The creature whined unhappily, but obeyed. Whimpers from the other dragons joined the worried sound as they watched the needle fly through the torn wing. Sam could only wonder how much trust these creatures had for the Viking as he worked in ways they had no way of understanding on one they already considered their own.

The girl stroked the scaly head resting on her lap. She bit her lip and tried to fight the anxious thoughts that chased each other around her brain. He'd had a lot of injuries from ghost fighting, but never anything that needed _stitches_. He usually healed quickly enough that such remedies would be pointless. This, however…he would need the stitches just to keep the membrane together long enough for it to knit together, if it was to heal at all. She just hoped she'd sterilized everything well enough.

"There!" exclaimed Hiccup, sounding pleased with himself, "all done." He snipped the last thread and leaned back to examine his handiwork.

Sam blinked, brought back to the present by the man's declaration.

"We should find a way to keep him from biting at that…" suggested Fishlegs. Sam blinked again. She'd been so lost in thought that she had forgotten the other Vikings were even there.

"Yeah," agreed Astrid with a thoughtful nod, "stitches can get pretty itchy when they're healing."

An image rose in Sam's thought unbidden and she couldn't help the laugh that escaped. All eyes were suddenly on her and she choked it back.

"Sorry, but no cone of shame for Danny," she said with a smirk, trying not to laugh again, "he would never forgive me if I let you guys do that." The girl struggled to prevent her laughter as she imagined the large dragon sulking, a giant, paper cone snugly fixed around the base of his skull. She faked a cough to cover the snort of mirth that threatened to burst out of her nose.

"The what of what?" Snotlout muttered to the twins. The two shrugged in confusion.

"That's…Back home, if an animal gets hurt, they end up with this giant cone around their neck," she explained, "it makes it pretty much impossible for them to reach their injury." When the Vikings all looked at her as though she'd grown a second head, she realized she'd let another thing slip that she shouldn't have. The girl winced inwardly and tried to shrug it off with a nervous laugh.

"Our nomad clan is weird?" she offered, forcing a smile onto her face.

"In any case, you don't really have to worry about him going after it," Sam continued, returning to the original concern, "he'll know better. Besides, even if you tried something like that, you wouldn't be able to keep it on him." She gave a pointed look to Hiccup. Though the other Vikings continued to look at her with suspicions of derangement, the man nodded in acceptance. He'd understood. If the dragon didn't want to wear it, any device they attempted to rig for him would just be phased off.

"In that case," said Hiccup as he stood and stretched, "we'd better let the dragons up. It's probably better if he has some room when he wakes." With mumbled agreement, the others led their dragons away from Danny, though none seemed eager to go too far, for various reasons. Eventually, the Night Terrors were the only ones left, and they were easy to convince once Toothless chattered at the white one the twins called Smidvarg. Then, one by one, the humans began to file out of the room to return to whatever they had been doing before. Last was Hiccup, who hesitated at the door.

"You know," he said lightly, "the two of you really _are_ safe here." Sam bit her lip and looked away, uncertain how to reply.

"The others might have a hard time understanding your situation, but," Hiccup paused and shrugged, "we'll do our best to help you guys out with whatever's _really_ going on." With another shrug, he turned and walked out the door, pulling it shut behind him. Sam could only stare after him. The man was far too intelligent and far too observant. After a moment, she shook her head and absently began to stroke Danny's scales once more. How badly would it mess up the time stream to trust these few people? Would it completely ruin the future—their present—to trust just one Viking so far removed from any major civilizations? The girl frowned in thought. The whole situation was a giant mess, and sooner or later, the time-displaced pair would have to sort it out. It was looking like that time would come more quickly than Sam had anticipated.

* * *

Danny wasn't sure how long he'd drifted in the darkness. All he could be certain of was that when it began to recede, all the soreness it blocked returned in full force. There were definitely a few bruised ribs. His shoulder had been twisted at some point and he had terrible aches and pains in places he momentarily forgot existed. The metallic tang of blood hung heavy in the air, nearly overwhelming the scent of damp wood, musty straw, and reptiles. Many, many reptiles. Somewhere underneath all those odors, he thought he caught the smell of Sam somewhere very nearby, tainted ever so slightly with stale fear. She had been frightened. It took a moment to remember that he had accidentally caused that. He groaned inwardly at the recollection. He hadn't meant to scare her, but the thought of allowing himself to be influenced by the Freyja's breath… Frankly, it terrified him.

As his other senses slowly caught up with his returning consciousness, he began to take in more of his surroundings. He could hear the steady drum of rain hitting a wooden rooftop above. Dragons murmured somewhere off to the side, while dozens of other tiny creatures chattered overhead, probably in rafters. Close to one of his ears, almost inaudible, was the sound of quiet breathing. Beyond the ache in his skull, he started to realize that someone had taken the care to give him some sort of pillow. A tiny hand was gently petting his head, ever so carefully avoiding a spot where he suspected he had a nice sized lump forming.

Finally, things began to add together. He wasn't certain whether to hope he was right or wrong. Either way, he had to know. A small whine escaped his throat as he fought go open his eyes. They felt as though they'd been glued shut and weighted down.

"It's okay, Danny," came Sam's murmured voice. The tone was weird to him. It was too soft. Too gentle. Too…un-Sam. The hand stroked his head again. Those were definitely her fingers. Was he really doing that badly? Sure, he had passed out, but he was only fifteen, and those few stitches he was awake for had _hurt_. They couldn't have expected anything else from him. Granted, it was possible he'd bled a lot more than he thought he did. With that thought, he decided he should be more concerned about how long he'd been out.

The dragon rumbled out a groan as he forced one blue eye open to look blearily up at his friend. A relieved smile greeted him as his vision cleared ever so slowly. He wondered how worried she had to have been if she was letting him use her as a human pillow. Her legs had to have fallen asleep at some point, especially if his head was as heavy as it felt to him. A hum rumbled in his throat. He wanted answers. He wanted to ask his questions, but he didn't think he would have been able to form a coherent sentence even if he had been able to talk. The girl smirked at him.

"Have a nice nap?" she asked quietly, her voice still soft, but taking on her usual teasing tone, "you've only been out for maybe an hour. I'm not entirely sure, though." He could feel his eyebrow creep upward and the girl's smirk grew wider.

"I've only known you for forever," she said matter-of-factly, "your face is practically an open book."

The dragon snorted indignantly. At least, he tried for indignant. It came out sounding closer to tired and slightly grumpy, which left him feeling quite unsatisfied. Sam snickered at the response and pet his head again. Danny's eye fell shut once more as the small hand ran across his scaly scalp. He couldn't help leaning into the touch. As odd as it was that _Sam_ of all people would show affection, it was nice. He could feel a purr threatening and bit his tongue to try to hold it back. It hadn't been needed, though. Without warning, the girl yanked her hand away as though she had been burned. The dragon looked up at her in confusion, forcing his other eye open so he could see her better.

The absolute mortification on her face was a complete shock. She stared at her hands, looking for all the world as though they'd just been involved in some horrible crime.

"Danny… I…" she began. The dragon was beginning to feel as though he'd missed something. He was sure he'd be able to figure it out if he weren't so completely drained. He hummed his confusion to her. Suddenly, the girl was shoving his head off her lap. His jaw landed on the ground with a soft thud that made his teeth clack together painfully. Sam stared at him for a moment, looking shocked at herself, her face turning beet red. A shake of her head set her back in motion.

"My legs are asleep," she said hastily, and scurried backward in an odd crabwalk. Danny continued to watch her in bewilderment, even after she turned her back on him. With a heavy sigh, he let his eyes shut again. The hard wooden floor was definitely not nearly as comfortable, but he supposed it would have to do.

* * *

Sam sat facing the wall for quite a while. She could hear the dragons shuffling around as they realized that Danny had woken up. He'd yelped a few times, and the girl could only assume they'd either bumped something that was bruised or touched one of his newer appendages. She wanted to come to his rescue, she really did, but she was highly embarrassed. She felt horrible that she'd accidentally treated him like an animal. Yes, the girl did the same thing with her little cousins when she had to babysit, but they were practically beasts themselves. What made it worse was that she had no idea when she'd started to pet him. While he didn't seem to have minded, she felt awful about it.

Now that she thought about it, she thought his response was a little strange. A frown crossed her face. He'd definitely noticed, that much was obvious. Had he actually enjoyed it? She knew it wasn't like her. She tried to treat all creatures like intelligent beings, and yet the one with an actual human mind had seemed to enjoyed the gesture. Did he…? She stopped herself there and shook her head at the thought. There was no use in reading that far into it. The guy was clueless and probably still a little befuddled.

Behind her, Sam could hear a series of hums and squawks, only a few of which she could recognize as coming from Danny. She had started to get used to vocalizations and it surprised her to realize that she could tell his apart from the others. The girl took a hesitant look over her shoulder and clapped her hands over her mouth to keep from laughing.

There lay Danny looking distinctly uncomfortable under a heap of dragons that had decided to be his personal blanket. The two-headed dragon seemed to be teasing him, even as he found his own place in the pile. Danny hummed plaintively, but none of the other reptiles paid him any mind. When he caught Sam's eye, he hummed again, almost asking for help. The girl raised her eyebrow and dropped her hands to reveal the smirk that had crossed her face.

"Awwwww…" she simpered exaggeratedly, "poor Danny doesn't want his nap!" The dragon scowled and rolled his eyes at her.

"Even if I could help right now, I wouldn't," she said, her tone light and far more careless than she actually felt, "besides, you really should rest. You bled quite a bit, and even _you_ need to take time to recover from _that_." The creature's face fell and his eyes dropped to the floor in guilt. Of course he would feel guilty about getting hurt. The girl sighed heavily.

"Yes, I worried. You're my best friend!" she explained, "it's in the job description." A smirk crossed her face once more. She didn't particularly feel as light-hearted as she tried to sound, but it was the only way she could think of to keep him from mentally beating himself up. Getting himself all worked up over what happened wasn't going to help him recover.

"But really, you _should_ take that nap," Sam continued once more, "I'm pretty sure they insisted, and I'll bet a real nap will feel a lot better than fainting." Danny snorted unhappily at her but gave an ever so slight nod, in spite of his head essentially being plastered to the ground. After a breath, he raised an eyebrow at her. A slight smile crossed his weary features, a reassurance that he was feeling better. Then, his eyes drifted closed as he fell asleep.

Sam breathed deeply, relieved that her friend was resting, hopefully more comfortably than he let on. She looked to the rafters where the many Night Terrors had decided to huddle together. She supposed it was a dragon thing to take naps together during the day. After all, a lot of creatures did that to preserve body heat. Without warning, a yawn snuck up on the girl, her lungs expanding and insisting that she stretch with them. The sound of so many sleeping creatures, combined with the steady drum of rain and the fading excitement of the morning had her realizing just how tired she had gotten.

The girl fought the urge only a little while longer before she found herself sinking to the floor in exhaustion. Perhaps a little shut eye for herself wouldn't hurt. Sam wasn't certain exactly when she dozed off. The sound of the sleeping beasts was oddly soothing and lulled her gently into oblivion in spite of the hunger that quietly gnawed at her insides. Her dream brought her back home, to familiar landscapes and faces. Her stomach flipped happily as she flew, hand in hand with the black haired, blue eyed boy she'd secretly fallen for months ago. It was nice, and, even though it was only for a little while, she allowed herself to forget everything else.

* * *

Hours passed. Midday turned to afternoon, and afternoon gave way to evening. As the evening progressed, the rain finally let up leaving only a fine drizzle in its wake. The Vikings had gathered to share their meal and discuss the day in all its weirdness. When it was realized that their human guest likely hadn't eaten, Astrid somehow ended up nominated to bring her whatever non-meat foods they could scrounge up from their stores. They would have to make a trip to Berk to replenish their supplies soon, but they would share what they had with the strange girl. Thus, armed with a pouch filled with various nuts, berries, and early apples, the blonde woman made her way to the stables.

As she neared the wooden building, she could hear a clamor of draconic scoldings and complaints. Fearing for the safety of the dragons, the woman clutched the pouch more closely and sprinted for the door. Her worry was proven unnecessary when she kicked it in. The pack of large dragons was fussing over the newcomer. Barf and Belch were happily taunting the creature as they held him down. Hookfang seemed to be attempting to distract his attention while Toothless held the injured wing for Meatlug to groom. Stormfly, meanwhile, appeared to be trying to catch the wildly thrashing tail that the owner clearly did not want caught. Astrid was fairly certain it had already smacked at least one of them in the face.

When Danny looked over to see the woman, though, the distraction stilled him just long enough for the flailing appendage to be tackled and pinned down. The large, black dragon screeched out his alarm and indignation, his efforts to escape redoubling with increased vigor. Seconds later, though, he slumped and whimpered in pain. The other beasts had won. She watched as Toothless, assured the creature would no longer struggle, bounded over to the creature's head and began to scold him.

"I told you to just let them do their dragon thing," called a teasing, female voice. Astrid spun on her heels, startled by the girl she'd forgotten she was supposed to see. Trying not to let on how badly she'd been frightened, the Viking woman forced a fierce scowl onto her face.

"What was that?" demanded the woman, her free arm pointing irritably toward the heap of giant lizards. She'd never seen such behavior out of the creatures. Yes, she understood that they'd claimed him as one of their own, and yes, she was aware that this creature didn't seem to like to be groomed, but the display she had just seen was far beyond just not wanting a bath.

"If I understand what was going on…" the girl began, her eyes drifting upward as she thought, "Toothless wanted Danny to clean up his wing. Danny wouldn't do it, so Toothless tried to do it for him. Danny tried to run, so Toothless got the others to help him. And now Danny's in trouble with big brother. Is that pretty much it?" The question was directed at her dragon with a wicked grin. Astrid tried to hide her shock as the creature nodded and looked away in embarrassment. The woman didn't think she would ever get used to seeing such human-like reactions from a reptile. She silently wondered how in Midgard Hiccup was handling it so well.

"So you're saying…" Astrid drifted off, trying to find the right words and buy time to sort her thoughts.

"Baby didn't want a bath," Sam filled in for her, sarcasm coloring her words, "and bigger babies need more helpers." Danny hummed his complaint at the girl, only to receive further scolding from the smaller black dragon. His little human friend laughed.

"He could have gotten away much sooner if he wasn't afraid of scaring them," the girl said with a smirk. She brushed her coal black hair away from her face as she turned her attention back to the woman.

"I'm guessing this isn't just a social call?" asked Sam, her eyebrow raised in a questioning arch. Astrid blinked a few times trying to remember her original purpose. She shifted the strap of her pouch slightly as she thought.

Then she rolled her eyes at herself. The pouch. The food. Right.

"I brought you something to eat," she replied after a pause that was far too long to cover gracefully. With a few steps, she crossed the distance between herself and the girl. Her legs folded beneath her as she sat and handed over the package. When the girl began to rummage through the bag and her stomach rumbled loudly in anticipation, Astrid pretended not to notice. However, the effort of sparing her the embarrassment was ruined when that darned dragon caught what had happened and laughed. The sound was quickly cut off with a groan of discomfort, though.

"Serves you right," the girl muttered darkly as she popped a berry in her mouth.

The woman frowned at the creature in thought and suspicion. She was about to pose her question to Sam before she remembered the few interactions she'd seen between the dragon and Hiccup. Perhaps it was time for her to attempt communication herself. She would put this whole "human mind" claim to the test. The woman's blue eyes focused on the creature and she took a breath.

"That sounded like it hurt," she started hesitantly, "did you get some bruised ribs?" The dragon looked at her in surprise and she shifted uncomfortably. Having something so inhuman assessing her in such a calculating way was far more unnerving than she had anticipated. She found she could almost believe the story of that curse. After a moment, his appraisal complete, the dragon nodded and hummed in the affirmative. Astrid winced in sympathy.

"Definitely not fun," she commented. The woman shook her head at the memory of the times she'd managed to get bruised ribs. How he wasn't in agony from another dragon sitting on him boggled her.

"Congratulations," Sam commented through a mouthful of apple, "you've just taken the first step." A smile crossed the girl's lips and she hungrily took another bite of the fruit. Astrid could have sworn the large dragon stuck his tongue out at his friend before Toothless blocked her view and started another round of scolding.

The woman frowned more deeply. She knew she had taken a step toward something, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Sam saw a completely different destination. Not wanting to think about it too deeply, Astrid stood and headed toward the still open door.

"If you want a bed for the night, I have a spare in my cabin," she offered. Then, after a quick explanation of how to get to it, the Viking woman fled, closing the door firmly behind her. It didn't take long for her to start berating herself for running away like a coward, but thinking about such things…That was better left for Hiccup.

* * *

 **A/N:** BLEGGGHHHH! Guys. I was nearly done with this chapter several times during my absence. And then I went back and re-read it. And I scrapped large portions of it. Seriously, you know things are bad when you've got characters getting after each other for acting out of character. It also got weirdly heavy and, well...I just didn't want that for this story, y'know?

Anyway... Next chapter is probably going to be a little slow coming, though hopefully not as bad as this one was. There's going to be a little bit of a time jump, though I haven't decided exactly how long just yet. It just needs to happen.

Also, thanks again for all the reviews, my lovely readers! It always makes me smile to see that I've entertained someone or maybe brightened their day a bit. You're all fantastic and I so much love you guys. :3

As always, thank you ever so much for reading! I'll see you next chapter!

Oh yeah! I've listed myself as a Beta Reader, too. o_o I just hope I don't end up being the Beta from Heck. I can already see myself editing like crazy... We'll see what happens, eh?


	23. Chapter 23

The next morning dawned far too early, the jewel bright blue of the sky promised a sunny and humid day, much to Sam's chagrin. She'd opted to set herself up in one of the extra stalls in the stable. The girl wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea of staying with any of the Vikings, particularly with how much she valued her privacy and how little trust she had for them. Staying with the dragons at least gave her a modicum of solitude from the humans. Besides, she wasn't exactly okay with straying too far from her injured friend.

As her eye cracked open to see the sunlight oozing in through the open door, the girl's face twisted in utter disgust. She fiercely pulled the wool blanket over her head to hide from the repulsive gleam. If only she'd thought to find a worn-out blanket to put up to obstruct its loathsome intrusion. It was then that she realized the door had been closed when she went to sleep. She tugged the blanked down a tiny bit and strained her ear to listen to her surroundings. A nasally male voice was murmuring quietly.

"Okay, if we're going to do this, you need to get out of that pile…Careful! Careful! Don't pull your—I guess that works, too," hissed Hiccup's voice. A reptilian chuckle rumbled briefly before turning into muffled groans of pain. Apparently Danny's ribs hadn't finished healing yet. Sam suspected the larger mass was slowing down his rapid healing. Either that, or his ribs were worse than he let on the night before.

"Okay, smart guy," Hiccup muttered wryly, sounding as though he wore a smile, "no more trying to be funny." Danny hummed miserably. Sam could hear some sort of creaking noise and a tiny, metallic clink. She frowned, trying to place the sounds.

"Uh…Do you mind crouching down for a minute? You're…well…you're taller than Toothless, and I have to make sure this thing sits right." Make sure what sits right? Sam's frown deepened. As sneakily as she could manage, she propped herself up on her elbows and chanced taking a peek. She bit back the annoyed words she wanted to mutter when she realized the heap of sleeping dragons blocked her view. Suddenly, somewhere behind them, Danny's wings flared out and a growl was barely snuffed out as it began. Leather and metal frantically scuffed against the ground, sounding for all the world like Hiccup had scrambled back.

"Sorry! Sorry!" the Viking whispered hoarsely, "Didn't mean to bump your wing… The other one okay?" Danny's reptilian voice grumbled and the limbs slowly lowered out of view. Sam carefully crawled across her straw bedding, trying to get a better angle. She could see Danny's head now and Hiccup's back. The girl didn't dare to go any further, preferring not to get caught spying just yet.

"You sure Sam isn't going to get upset about this?" asked Hiccup, "I mean, Astrid tells me she wasn't very happy about the boots." Danny seemed to shift uncomfortably, but made no other reply. The frown on Sam's face transformed into a scowl of suspicion. A few more metallic clinks drifted to her ears as the Viking continued whatever he was doing.

"Sam said you're still a juvenile," observed Hiccup thoughtfully, "so, if you plan to keep this thing for a while, you'll probably need to add more holes in the straps later on. You're probably going to end up a lot bigger." The dragon's ears drooped ever so slightly as he offered a falsely bright response. Judging by the flat, fake laugh offered in reply, the Viking hadn't bought it.

"Wow," the man deadpanned, "don't act so enthusiastic. So, you're not happy about something here… I'll figure it out eventually." He shrugged and stepped back. Crossing his arms, the man nodded, satisfied with his work.

"How does it fit?" he asked with a tilt of his head. Danny began to stretch and flex, but he had no chance to reply.

"What is _that_?!" Sam strode forward furiously, her finger pointed accusingly at the new leather saddle now strapped between the dragon's shoulders. Hiccup looked at the creature, his alarmed question written all over his face. The only answer he received was a sheepish grin of apology.

* * *

Hiccup could tell a rant was coming. He'd seen that same look of warning on Astrid's face about a million times before. He had been quick to suggest taking the conversation outside. They didn't need the rest of the dragons to wake up grumpy, and he wasn't sure how prone the girl was to yelling. It was a safer bet to move the conversation somewhere it wouldn't wake the large creatures.

He decided it had been a wise decision as he stood there next to the black dragon getting an ear-full from one very angry girl with bits of straw sticking out of her hair. He didn't dare to point it out to her. From the look on his face, he was sure Danny had no intention of it, either.

So the two stood there while Sam spewed out her tirade on the evils of leather and how it was a product of murdering innocent beings. She seemed particularly keen to point out how Danny should have known better, and the dragon made no effort to even try to object. Considering how many things he had objected to in the past few days, Hiccup thought it was odd. The Viking opened his mouth, ready to speak up on Danny's behalf, but the dragon shook his head ever so slightly. The man gave him a confused look, but the creature shook his head once again and subtly rolled his eyes in the girl's direction. Hiccup raised an eyebrow and shut his mouth. He would follow the dragon's lead. The beast had probably heard the same diatribe countless times before.

Side by side, the man and the dragon waited for her to run out of steam. It seemed to take forever, but at last, she stopped, took a deep breath, and angrily brushed a strand of inky hair out of her face. Hiccup blinked, astounded at how long she had kept up her rant. He'd never seen anyone get that incensed about something so… _mundane._ Then a thought occurred to him.

"So," he began hesitantly, "you're against leather, but wool is okay?" An exasperated, reptilian groan sounded beside him and the dragon dropped his head, face first, to the ground. Hiccup's eyebrows shot up. That was an odd response. He didn't understand until he looked back at the girl and saw her face darken.

"I don't exactly have much choice on that," she fumed, "I'm pretty sure you've never even _heard_ of cotton, much less get enough of it for things like blankets or clothes. But at least wool isn't _murder_." The girl cast another glare at Danny's saddle. She took a breath, looking for all the world like she was ready to start over on her rant, but Hiccup quickly cut her off.

"Now wait a minute," he said, a frown crossing his face, "you just said you don't have much choice about the wool."

"That's right," the girl answered with a huff, "but that doesn't mean I—"

"Hold on, I'm not done." Hiccup's words cut her off and Danny cautiously raised his head, surprise drawn across his scaly face.

"You're right. There isn't a whole lot of option for materials around these parts," he began, "and just like you don't really have much alternative for wool, I have absolutely no alternative for leather." Sam began to sputter, but Hiccup continued on, ignoring her attempts at objection.

"Danny came to _me_ ," he started again, his arms beginning to gesture wildly, " _he_ asked _me_ to make a saddle to carry _you_. He's afraid of dropping _you_ , Sam. You, want me to make his saddle out of wool? It would stretch out just trying it on. The moment another dragon decides to breath fire at him, it would be gone, and you would be falling. Leather is the only thing that's durable enough to withstand most of what dragons can throw at it. So, you know what? Go ahead and refuse to wear our 'murder materials'. Your dragon is willing to wear it and put up with your accusations so you don't have to. You think he really _wanted_ to be saddled? Think about it. You say his mind is like ours. Would _you_ want to be saddled just because your friend refuses to wear shoes?" He stopped, his lungs heaving with angry breaths, his fists on his hips. Green eyes bored into lavender, waiting for a response.

A horrified look crossed the girl's face before turning into one of shame. Her cheeks turned a brilliant red before she glared at him and stormed off. Hiccup heaved a sigh, releasing his tension. He had been sure she would find some way to argue against his stance. His eyes then turned to Danny. It was odd to see a dragon look so impressed. The expression quickly turned to one of regret as the creature turned to chase after his friend.

With another sigh, Hiccup turned to walk toward his workshop to finish cleaning things up. He could feel a headache creeping up on him once again. Why did those two newcomers have to be so strange? He had new information that made no sense. Danny was either opposed to keeping the saddle or getting bigger. He couldn't figure out why a _dragon_ wouldn't want to be bigger, so it had to be something about the saddle. Perhaps it was the materials. He had definitely expected the girl's reaction. Apparently, wherever they had come from, leather and wool were not essential materials. So what _had_ her shoes been made of? And what in Midgard was _cotton_?

* * *

The days following seemed to trudge by for Danny, slowly and painfully. It had taken quite a lot of work to convince Sam that the saddle was a good idea, especially without words. That had been the hardest part. It would have been a lot easier to just overshadow someone for it, but he feared he would have lost the argument if it were someone else's face making it. Besides, he couldn't be certain of someone popping up and catching him at it. If they were back home, he was sure they could explain it away, somehow. There were enough people in town that it would have been possible. Here, there were only those six Vikings. Such a scene would take a lot of fancy footwork to cover.

He was grateful to Hiccup, though, for getting the convincing started. He had expected the continuation of her rant, but he hadn't expected the man to have one of his own. His argument had been very sound and left Sam speechless. Such a sight was rare and unexpected. If it hadn't happened, he suspected the girl would never have been convinced. Perhaps one day he would be able to think up sound arguments on the fly like that. Then again, maybe not. His strength was in taunting his opponents and making them angrier.

Even after her agreement, it wasn't until the next day that Sam would even allow herself to touch the saddle. However, hunger was a great motivator. She needed to gather food, and she couldn't head into the forest on her own, especially not without _something_ on her feet. The Vikings didn't have nearly enough vegetation stored to keep her fed, and what little they did have needed to stretch until Danny could fly with the other dragons. So, still without shoes, she had given in, and Danny resisted the well-deserved gloating as she climbed onto the saddle for the first time. While they were out, she had insisted on grabbing other things for attempting to make footwear of her own.

While Danny was literally grounded, he didn't see a whole lot of the Vikings, other than Hiccup. When the dragon wasn't helping Sam gather things to eat or getting chased by the other creatures for exercise, he was pretty much confined to the stables. Most of the Vikings came in to take care of their dragons or feed their curiosity while he was there, but the auburn-haired man seemed intent to actually solve whatever mystery they'd built around themselves. He was frequently asking questions to both the human and reptilian newcomer. There were slips here and there, but Sam had become prone to giving him the cold shoulder after the saddle incident.

The dragon couldn't figure out why, but whenever she decided to cut a conversation short with the man, it made some part of his brain smug with satisfaction. His weird jealousy would flare up again when the girl felt it necessary to join the other humans and have a verbal conversation, though. Danny still couldn't figure out where the possessiveness had come from. It didn't seem to be purely from any one source. But then, he never really had long to muse over it.

Whenever he started to get broody, the dragons would decide he needed their attention. They would make their attempts at teaching him how to be a dragon or try to play, which usually devolved into chasing him. Their efforts were at least partially beneficial, he had to admit. He was quickly improving at communicating with them and moving like the creature he'd become. If he cared to admit it, he had become friends with the large beasts, even if they were a little annoyingly friendly and over-protective. It was odd how hypocritical the thought made him feel, but he quickly shrugged it off.

It was nearly a week later when Danny's frustrations came to a boiling point. His burnt nose was finally healing, taking much longer than usual because of its source, and it was itching horribly. He'd attempted to scratch the itch once with his front claws, but had managed to accidentally cut himself in the process. Sam had teased him relentlessly for it.

On top of that, as promised, the stitches on his wing were itching even worse than his nose. He had no idea how to scratch at that, even if he didn't fear cutting himself with his claws. The only option to solve the problem was to chew at the healing wound, but that idea was just gross. To top it off, Stormfly decided it was her duty to keep it clean. So, not only was she touching his wing, which he _still_ hadn't gotten used to, but she was _licking_ it. It was beyond disgusting, and he couldn't even complain. The moment he tried, Toothless would start scolding him. If he attempted to escape, the smaller black dragon would tackle him. He was very much wishing he could just phase the stitches off, but that would have Sam and Hiccup getting on his case, too.

The thing that snapped his fragile hold on his temper, though, was the Night Terrors. While the tiny creatures didn't particularly have a problem with him, he had major issues with them. It seemed they had a tendency of going to the forest clearing to munch at the Odin's Rose, and it was clear they'd gone for a snack that evening.

Danny was pinned to the wooden floor of the stables yet again, his wing being carefully groomed by the mothering Deadly Nadder, when the flock began to wander around the base. He could smell the burning potpourri drifting on the air, but he didn't dare move. A small group of them decided to wander in through the open door, bringing the stench closer. He hummed his worry, hoping Sam was still in her makeshift room. Her scent was all over the small building from her frequent presence, which made it hard to tell. When she made no response, he realized she'd probably wandered out to wash up while he was busy trying to avoid "bath time," as she'd taken to calling it. All he could be certain of was that he was trapped. He didn't like being trapped.

Still, the tiny dragons wandered closer. A breeze blew through the open door, carrying to odor straight to his nose and into his lungs. Much closer, and he was certain breathing would become difficult. A warning growl escaped his throat, in spite of his attempts to hold it back. Predictably, Toothless began to scold him, and the Night Terrors came even closer in their curiosity. His irritated airways tightened in objection to the offending scent. He could feel his pulse growing rapid, attempting to move the suddenly restricted oxygen more quickly.

It was too much. There he was, pinned to the floor, trapped by a dragon who was chattering at him for something he couldn't help while another dragon was getting her slobber all over his wing and weirding him out to no end. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't talk, he couldn't _move_ , he was frustrated beyond belief, and he was so dang _itchy_!

Finally, Danny snapped.

A fierce roar ripped its way out of his burning throat, sending the tiny dragons running. He had no idea where he even found the air to make such a noise, and he didn't particularly care. With a surge of adrenaline, he rolled and scrambled out from under the two creatures. They stared at him in shock and flared their wings. Danny hadn't even realized his own were flared, but he was too angry and frustrated to even process when it had happened. He roared again at the two, warning them to leave him alone, and bolted out the door.

How long he ran, he couldn't say. He had scrambled over the plank walkways, found his way to the top of the cliff and kept going. When he finally stopped, he found himself surrounded by trees, panting frantically to fill his poor, starved lungs. Each breath brought an annoying whistle and a strange vibration to his chest that made him cough. His head was spinning from the lack of air. He roared once more in frustration, though his growing dizziness and weakness kept the sound unsatisfyingly soft.

It was then that he realized how exhausted he had become with his outburst. He hadn't gotten to release his pent up aggression, but he supposed that was a good thing. It meant he hadn't accidentally hurt his new, reptilian friends. He hadn't taken it out on any humans. Sam hadn't been put in any danger. He was still frustrated, though.

Danny was tired of being the wrong shape. He was tired of being unable to talk to his own best friend. He was tired of being literally grounded for the sake of healing an injury he shouldn't even _have_. Above all that, he just wanted to go home, back to Amity Park with all the crazy ghosts. There, he might be hunted like an animal sometimes, but at least he could make fun of the people chasing him. He sighed heavily, a whistle and a whine escaping with the breath. Dwelling on it wasn't going to help. Humming at himself, he closed his eyes. He would just rest a little while before he went back to attempt an apology. The dragon didn't even notice the chilled breath through his wheezing as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Back at the base, the humans knew something was terribly wrong. The roars they heard were full of anger and definitely coming from the stables. As one, they converged on the small wooden building. Inside, the dragons were all alert, unsurprisingly. However, most of them looked as though they'd just had a rude wake-up call, still lying in their stalls and looking quite alarmed. In the center of the room, though, were Toothless and Stormfly. Their wings were still half furled and they were clearly distressed.

Hiccup stepped forward, looking around to figure out what had happened. Toothless hummed anxiously, shaken by whatever had happened. Behind him, the other Vikings rushed to their own dragons to calm them.

"What happened?" asked Astrid, her tones murmured as she stroked Stormfly's snout comfortingly.

"I'm not sure," replied Hiccup. He pat Toothless' head as he took in everything. There were definitely new scratches gouged into the floor, but those could have been caused by anything. He frowned in contemplation, not even realizing the biggest problem until a young, female voice pointed it out.

"Where's Danny?" demanded Sam.

Hiccup spun to face her. He'd completely forgotten she was there. Her face was a mix of fear and anger. It was understandable. Her dragon, the creature she claimed to be her best friend, was missing. If it were Toothless, he knew he would have the exact same response. A frown crossed his face.

"Astrid," he said, turning to the blonde woman, "think Stormfly would be up for a tracking session?"

The female Viking nodded resolutely. Her dragon tilted her head in anxious curiosity.

"Then we've got a dragon to find. Saddle up, everyone," commanded Hiccup, "Sam, you go with Astrid. I think we'll all be better off if you're there first when we reach him." With sounds of fierce agreement and determination, the humans climbed onto the dragons and together rode out into the deepening night.

* * *

 **A/N:** Not a whole lot of time for writing my notes. If you spot something that doesn't make sense, breaks consistency, or seems just plain wrong, please send me a PM to kindly inform me about it so I can correct it. You guys are awesome and I love you all so much! The end of the story is in sight for me. Soon. It may still take several chapters to actually get there, but I can see it. o_o This next chapter will hopefully be the last slow update. I has things happening in the near future. *shifty eyes* Things that will hopefully improve how I write the dragons. And possibly spur some sneaky edits. I'll let you all know if that happens.

Anyway...

As usual, thanks for reading! And thanks for all the fantastic reviews! You guys have no idea how happy you all have made me with your kind words. Seriously. Thank you. :D


	24. Chapter 24

The stars shone coldly overhead, their meager light the only thing illuminating the terrain as the dragons and their riders raced across the landscape. At the lead of the pack was Stormfly, smelling the air and taking in whatever trace of the missing reptile's scent she could capture. Perched on her back, Astrid looked forward, her eyes strained for any sign of the creature. Sam sat just behind her, clinging to her waist in an effort to not fall off. Stormfly's two-legged gait was far more jarring than she had gotten used to.

"What do you think happened?" the girl asked, raising her voice only as loudly as she dared.

"I don't know," replied the Viking woman with a scowl, "he's _your_ dragon. Why don't you tell me?"

"He's _not_ my dragon," said Sam, nearly growling the words out, "I keep telling you, he's my best friend! He doesn't _belong_ to _anyone_." The girl couldn't count how many times she'd tried to explain that point, and they still didn't get it. The only person relatively close to understanding was Hiccup, and she was still too irritated about the leather argument to really want to speak with him at any length. Yes, he had been right about the limited materials available, and perhaps holding onto her grudge about it was a bit petty under the circumstances, but her pride wouldn't allow her to let go of it. Not yet, at least.

"Whatever," grumbled Astrid, sounding for all the world like she was rolling her eyes, "my point is, you're the only one who knows him well enough to figure out why he would flip out and run off."

Sam opened her mouth to retort, but found she had no counter-argument. Instead, she scowled at the woman's back for a moment before her expression melted into a guilty frown. She had no idea what all had been eating at Danny. They hadn't had much opportunity to talk during the week, and she'd found herself wandering off to have verbal conversations, leaving him with only the dragons for company. How much had he been bottling up, unable to communicate with anyone who would understand? She knew he had a short temper at the best of times, and yet he'd managed to hold himself back. How long had he been reigning in his anger? She was right there and hadn't even noticed. The guilt settled into her stomach like a lead weight. What kind of friend was she? She'd shown more consideration toward a gorilla.

An uncomfortable silence settled between the two. The girl hadn't given an answer, and, thankfully, Astrid didn't press for one. It was awkward, but Sam preferred it over admitting her heavy conscience.

As they continued on their way, the dragon beneath them began to grow skittish. A nervous hum rumbled between the creatures behind them. Each voicing a twinge of fear toward some unknown thing hiding in the darkness.

"That can't be good," Astrid commented. It sounded more like she was speaking to herself than anything else. A scowl pulled itself across Sam's face as she thought. What was spooking the dragons? Even as it crossed her mind, her eyes widened in realization. She'd seen this reaction before.

"Ghosts. I think they're feeling a ghost nearby," she explained. She strained her ears to listen for the tell-tale sounds of a ghostly battle, but heard nothing. They continued on, though the dragons had slowed their pace considerably. The group had to be getting closer, and yet the familiar sounds were completely absent. Something had to be terribly wrong if Danny wasn't even attempting to fight the specter. She was very much wishing they had some of the equipment they usually employed…particularly the Boo-merang. It might have been stupidly named, but it would have brought them straight to her friend.

Astrid turned her head to look quizzically at her passenger before looking ahead once more.

"You really believe that?" the Viking woman asked.

"I do," Sam replied flatly, "and if it is, there's going to be some serious trouble. We need to find Danny. _Fast._ "

Astrid glanced back at her once more to see the serious look on her face. With a nod, she faced forward and urged Stormfly into a run. The other dragons frantically followed the motion, not willing to let one of their own be separated.

Not long after they settled into their renewed pace, they entered the forest. Within the trees, the darkness was almost complete. Danny's form was difficult to make out when they finally found him. If it weren't for the white specks along his back, they might have overlooked him. His sides heaved laboriously as he slept. A grating whistle accompanied each breath. Sam had never heard Danny make such a noise.

"Danny!" she cried. Her prototype grass sandals practically disintegrated with the few steps across the stony ground as she raced to his side, but she hardly noticed in her anxious haste.

* * *

Danny was confused when he started to wake. His head and his ribs ached. Each burning breath he took caused a strange and incredibly annoying noise that mingled harshly with several garbled voices. It felt almost like he was underwater, his pained lungs having to work far too hard and his limbs feeling unpleasantly floaty. He felt a terrible chill in the air that made him shiver. The dragon hadn't expected it to grow so cold so suddenly. His ears twitched backward in irritation and he clenched his eyes more tightly shut against the night in an effort to drown out the world once more.

Small hands patted his cheeks urgently and one of the watery voices began to clear, alternating between words of self-beratement and pleading for him to wake up. It took him far too long to figure out that the person trying to wake him was Sam. He grumbled in his annoyance and tried to tell her to just let him sleep, but it came out as a reptilian groan and added to his annoyance. For a moment, he'd forgotten that he still couldn't speak.

"Danny!" the girl said with a startled gasp, "Are you okay?!" The dragon tiredly opened his eyes to cast her a distinctly unamused look. He pushed out a heavy breath, the forced air exaggerating the whistling wheeze. He was too weary to play that game, and there just wasn't enough _air._

"Sorry…Standard question…" muttered Sam, a sheepish grimace crossing her shadowed, pale features.

The creature rolled his eyes grumpily and let his eyelids fall again. If he could just sleep until it all passed…

"No! No, Danny. You need to wake up," she grabbed the sides of his face, "we have to get moving!" The sudden roughness of the gesture had him opening his eyes and tiredly quirking an eyebrow at her. He studied the expression on her face, her eyebrows low with worry, and her lips in a determined, straight line. Danny heaved a painful sigh. He knew that look.

"What's going on?" called a familiar, nasally voice, "any idea why he ran off?" The dragon huffed loudly. Of course Hiccup brought her. A twinge of jealousy shot through him. He'd figured out what the feeling was, but still couldn't figure out the why. That frustration irked him to no end. With a scowl, Danny raised his head out of Sam's grip and looked around to see exactly where the man stood. His eyes widened. It wasn't just Hiccup and Toothless. It was the whole crew of Vikings and a pile of very skittish looking Dragons all huddled together. The sharp intake of breath from his surprise burned and sent him into a fit of coughing.

The girl shook her head and frowned as she waited for the creature to regain his breath. Finally, past the worst of the coughing, Danny spat on the ground. A vaguely glowing wad of phlegm spattered on the forest floor beside him and Sam recoiled in disgust. The dragon couldn't help feeling mildly satisfied at her reaction. He was, after all, sort of angry with her.

"Helloo-ooo!" called Snotlout irritably, "dragons freaking out, still! Could you get to the part about the ghost things?"

"I'm getting there!" the girl barked back. Danny's eyes widened again. What ghost? He hadn't sensed anything. It was just a very cool evening. In the summer. After a couple of fairly warm days… Crud. The universe then decided to confirm the situation. The creature hiccupped painfully, a sharp squawk of a breath that managed to both burn and freeze his insides and left a misty trail of vapor streaming from his nostrils. Filled with frustration and annoyance, Danny tilted his head forward and slammed his face against the ground.

The alarmed outcry of the Vikings was oddly satisfying, too. A grim smile worked its way onto his face briefly before giving way to a scowl.

"Well…They're playing your song," Sam commented hesitantly.

"What song?" asked Ruffnut, "I don't hear anything."

"Probably ghost music," commented Tuffnut, knowingly, "pretty sure most people can't hear it."

Danny's scowl deepened. He'd been assured that Ruffnut was a woman, but he was still having trouble seeing it. He shook his head out of that train of thought and wheezed at himself. There was a ghost, and he had to take care of it. Well, he thought to himself, if he was going to take enjoyment from reactions, why not get one more. He smirked wickedly and called on his ghost half.

…Only to find himself abandoning the process the moment the halos of light appeared. The short attempt had caused the burning in his airways to go from horribly uncomfortable to blindingly painful. He began to cough once more, feeling for all the world as though someone had decided to massage his larynx with a flaming cactus.

A great tumult broke out from the sudden light show. The dragons had no way of understanding what had just happened and they were screeching in their fright, their cries nearly drowning out the sound of Danny's wracking coughs. The Vikings struggled against their own panic and sudden blindness to calm the beasts and restore order. Their efforts were just beginning to show an effect when a deep, rumbling voice called out, sending the creatures scrambling away.

"DRAGON!" it cried, "I know you're here!" Danny's face fell as the dragons made their escape, leaving their riders to run into the dark after them. Hiccup had just begun to join the chase but stopped, mid-stride. He turned, looking torn between trying to catch up with Toothless or staying to help with the ghost, if he could. Seeming to make a decision, he turned back and jogged to Danny. The dragon looked at him in surprise. He thought for sure he would go after his reptilian companion.

"Toothless can take care of himself," he declared, sounding more like he was reassuring himself, "tell me what to do." His green eyes darted between Sam and Danny, his brows sitting low and determined, his lower jaw slightly jutting out. The girl and dragon looked at each other a moment, then back at the Viking. After a blink, Danny frowned and nodded. They had an angry Ghost Viking to fight.

* * *

Moments later, Hiccup found himself perched on the back edge of Danny's saddle, his arms on either side of Sam in front of him while his hands clung to the front edge of the leather tack. The girl was leaning forward, her own fists firmly wrapped around the grip he'd built onto it. His mind played over their preparation to head out.

Sam had insisted on the stitches being removed from the dragon's injured wing. It hadn't seemed like a good idea at the time, considering how long it _should have_ taken for such an injury to heal. But before he could protest, the girl had ordered Danny to make his wing intangible and the threads simply fell through the leathery membrane, leaving only a track of tiny holes to show anything had even been wrong with the appendage. The gash itself had healed completely, and the Viking was flabbergasted, astonished, and a great many other forms of shocked. It shouldn't have been possible, and yet the man was seeing it with his own eyes.

He didn't have long to absorb what had happened before the girl was telling him to hurry up. When the man went to climb onto the saddle, the wheezing dragon gave him a look of intense suspicion. It took another minute, but after quietly promising to be completely respectful to the girl, the creature finally allowed him to mount, and the three were racing off as fast as Danny's legs would allow.

As they went onward, the humans discussed tactics and the dragon occasionally gave his input with noises of either agreement or complaint. Their pace never slowed, but the creature's already harsh breath gradually became more ragged. It was alarming. The Viking had never seen one of the massive reptiles have such trouble just getting enough air. Danny's massive chest should have guaranteed plentiful supplies of oxygen, and yet he was struggling.

Far more quickly than he had anticipated, Danny came to a stop to allow Sam and Hiccup to dismount. They were near their destination, and the creature refused to go any further. The whistling of his airways had grown fierce, and a pained look had found its way onto his features, just barely visible in the weak starlight. Hiccup bit his lip. The creature needed help, but they had neither the time nor the means or knowledge to take care of his problem. With a worried frown, he reached out to pat the creature's shoulder.

"We'll take care of our part," he said, "you get some rest while you wait for us, and I'll find some way to help you as soon as this is done."

As he turned to go, Sam rushed forward to hug the beast. Hiccup looked away, not wanting to intrude, but he couldn't help listening in as the girl murmured her apologies and promises to do better. The dragon gave a wheezing hum of acceptance before she finally let go. Danny's worried eyes continued to follow her as she picked her way through the dark over the stony ground to Hiccup, her sandals reduced to nothing more than twisted straps clinging uselessly to her ankles.

Once out of sight, the man paused and looked at the girl. The dragon wouldn't be able to see from where he was, and hopefully wouldn't hear their conversation. Making his decision, he crouched down and offered his back.

"I'd better carry you for a bit," he suggested quietly, "we need to hurry if we're going to be ready in time."

Sam glared at him for a moment, but climbed up without argument. Hiccup figured it was because she was worried about her dragon friend. Once she was in place, he stood and took off running. It wasn't as fast as running on his own, but it was much quicker than waiting for the girl to keep up.

"Once we've got it," she commented after a moment, "we won't be able to be near Danny until we get cleaned up. I mean it's more powerful than the stuff we have…back…home…" Her words trailed off, as though something had occurred to her. If he hadn't needed his lungs to keep himself running, he would have asked for her to continue her thought. But he did, so he couldn't. Hiccup made a mental note to ask her about it later.

When they reached the clearing, the dots connected. The gaps in the canopy let in just enough illumination to reveal the shadowy figures of small creatures. A few, straggling Night Terrors were there, munching on the crimson blossoms. The tiny dragons were eating the Odin's Rose and getting themselves covered in the pollen.

"The Night Terrors," he murmured, his horror finding its way into his voice as his eyes grew wide, "some of them were in the stables tonight…" He turned the girl and saw an expression that mirrored his own looking right back at him. Neither had been there to shoo the smaller creatures away, and if the other dragons had been treating him as they usually do… Hiccup cut off his thoughts and began gathering the flowers. Sam soon shook her head out of her own observations and began to follow suit. They would have to find a solution for that problem later.

As their arms filled with sprays of the flowers, the tiny dragons grew ever more skittish, until finally, they flew off in a clamor of terrified shrieks. Hiccup and Sam were out of time to prepare.

"Come on!" shouted the man. He didn't even wait for her to respond before he shifted his burden to one arm and used the other to grab the small teen around her waist and carry her off at a sprint. The girl yelped in her surprise and clung tightly to her own bouquet, just barely managing not to drop it. Maybe he should have given her more warning. Maybe he should have made her carry his flowers so he wouldn't be lugging her like a sack of turnips. There were a lot of maybes, but there was no time to consider them or even apologize for startling her. He was sure he would have to do that later, though. It was added to the mental list beginning to form of things that were put on hold.

Sure enough, as they reached the edge of the trees once more, there floated the ghostly Viking, his eyes scanning the darkened landscape angrily, his eyes narrowed and nostrils flared. The being's wild, blond beard seemed to twitch of its own volition. His form was lit by a sickly glow that seemed to come from the being himself, illuminating his every feature and highlighting his antiquated, ragged clothes.

"Th-tha…That's a-a-a…" stammered Hiccup, his eyes wide with fright, and his jaw slack.

"GYAHH!" Apparently his arm had gone slack, too. He'd dropped the girl.

"Yeah," grumbled Sam angrily as she picked herself up off the ground, "that's a ghost. Whoop-dee-do!" She twirled a finger in the air in mock celebration.

"We have work to do, Hiccup," she reminded the Viking, then began to jog tentatively away from the sight. Moments later, Hiccup found his eyes torn away from the floating being when Sam returned and roughly began to drag him by his tunic's collar. After a few stumbling steps, he regained his footing and jogged alongside the girl. This time, he shoved his bundle of flowers into her arms and scooped her up to increase their pace. She'd protested momentarily, of course, but it was more out of shock than anything else.

Behind them, the ghastly Viking began to shout demands for the dragon to appear, demands which went unheeded, and Hiccup thoroughly hoped it stayed that way. As they neared the site for their trap, though, a strained roar rose up through the air. The green-eyed man felt his heart drop as a victorious cry responded from somewhere behind them. The reptilian noise hadn't been loud, but it had been enough. In hardly a breath, Sam leapt out of his arms and thrust half the flowers at him. As quickly as she could, she began to scatter the flowers as she ran onward, not even seeming to notice the way the rough ground bit at her feet. Forcing his brain back into motion, Hiccup quickly followed suit in the opposite direction. Their line of the blossoms soon took a semi-circular shape, and just in time. The ghost appeared, barreling through the air like a boulder flung from a catapult.

Hiccup had been told, but he hadn't anticipated the sight as the translucent Viking appeared to slam into a wall of absolutely nothing. The being bellowed in pain and thrashed about in the air. The young man was so stunned by the intense reaction that he'd frozen in place.

"Hiccup!" yelled Sam, "Keep going!" The girl continued to drop the flowers as she circled back toward him, her eyes constantly darting to the ghostly figure. With his mind once again pulled to the present, he continued his task, but his distraction had been too long. The ghost, with his sallow green skin now covered in angry blisters, had recovered enough to see the entrapment slowly closing around him. Understanding darkened his rough features and, with a yell of pure fury, he rocketed toward the far-too-large gap in the circle.

Before he could even process what was happening, Hiccup found himself racing to intercept. Some corner of his mind wished his voice was much deeper as he leapt at the figure with a yell of his own. The sound was not impressive by any means, but the jump did the job. Surprising both himself and the ghastly Viking, the flying tackle connected. The young man's arms wrapped around the figure, pinning his appendages to his side. Hiccup grit his teeth as the ghost flailed and kicked, howling in agony as the pollen on the living man's clothing burned at his form.

"Just a little longer!" Sam commanded from somewhere off to the side.

"Sure!" Hiccup ground out as he strained to keep his hold on the oddly squishy being, "please, take your time! This isn't difficult at all!" He yelped as a kick swung and connected with his good leg. He blinked away the wetness that prickled at his eyes and forced his arms tighter around the figure. Finally, after seconds that seemed to stretch into hours, he heard the most blessed words that could have been uttered in that moment.

"Done! Get out of there!"

With a grunt, he shoved away from the ghost and scrambled clumsily across the line of blossoms. The ghastly figure tried to give chase, but the moment he reached the flowers, he slammed against that same invisible wall with another tormented yell and fell, writhing, to the ground.

Relief washed over Hiccup as the moon finally found its way into the sky and he saw the completed circle. With a heavy sigh, he sat roughly on the ground to stare at the shape and rub the spot on his shin where he'd been kicked. No, it wasn't all that round. To be honest, it had become more of an amorphous blob at the end, but it still did what it was supposed to. The ghost was contained. Now they had to figure out what to do with him.

"You okay?" asked Sam as she sat next to him and began to inspect her abused feet.

"Just peachy," he chirped sarcastically, a smirk working its way onto his features, "how about you?"

"Never better." The girl winced as she inspected what looked like a new cut on the bottom of her foot.

"Danny's going to kill me, isn't he?"

"No…He—Wait, what?" The girl looked up at him, eyes wide and brows drawn together in a combination of shock and confusion. Hiccup blinked at her, his own eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Had she not realized?

"How long have you known him again?"

He never received his answer, though.

"Oh my gosh! Danny!" gasped Sam, scrambling to her feet, "he's in trouble!" How could they have forgotten? The creature had roared far too early. He was supposed to wait until they were within sight so they would have enough time for setting the trap. Not only that, his breathing had been terrible when they left him. The man scowled and quickly stood. They had to hurry to check on the dragon. However…

"What do we do about him?" he pointed his thumb at the ghost who had begun to throw himself furiously at the barrier, in spite of the painful repeated results.

"Leave him. As long as that circle stays, he's not going anywhere," she explained hurriedly, "we'll get him figured out after we find Danny."

Hiccup eyed the translucent man distrustfully, but nodded yieldingly. Then, with Sam once again riding piggy-back, he began to run through the night, this time toward a dragon that was in trouble. Though his worries were at the forefront of his thoughts, some small part at the back of his mind sincerely hoped they would be done running soon. It was late, and he was _tired_.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, I know I thought this chapter would get out sooner than the last, but the last...Holy buckets, _month_?! Yeah, it kind of blew up at me. Went to a convention, then had people needing favors, family show up in town and a wedding out of town to attend. OH! And fleshing out characters for an original story I'm going to be starting and getting input from people with backgrounds different from mine. So, I'm still alive. Exhausted, but alive. And no, I haven't abandoned this story. Neither it, nor it's eventual sequel. I'm determined to finish these things. **  
**

I have to tell you though...I'm ashamed to say that half the delay in this chapter is purely my fault. I kept trying to shoehorn a scene into it that I _really_ wanted to write. The scene got re-written about five times before I suddenly realized that it was a) too heavy; b) kind of OOC; and c) needed the characters to have knowledge about all kinds of things that they couldn't possibly have experience with. Once I gave up on it, the chapter went a lot easier.

Also, I'm really sorry this chapter is ending on another cliffhanger, BUT! The next chapter _should_ be ready in two days. If it isn't, I give you all permission to shake your fists angrily in my general direction.

And now, my thanks to you all. For sticking with me in spite of my prolonged and unexpected absence. For leaving your kind reviews and pushing me to get more story to you. For the favorites (I mean, seriously! Holy cow!). And for even reading in the first place. Thank you, my lovely readers. You all rock my socks clean off.

This is Doom, rushing off to work on the next chapter and hopefully avoid all that fist shaking. o_o


	25. Chapter 25

It didn't take nearly as long as they had expected to find Danny again. What gave his position away was the sound of a half dozen fussing dragons and one low, whistling groan of misery. Hiccup suspected that trapping that ghost had blocked whatever effect its presence had had on the creatures. As they got closer and the moon rose higher, they could see the cluster of worried reptiles. Behind them, a tail that clearly belonged to Danny was thrashing from side to side in agitation. Toothless was pacing anxiously, looking torn between staying to watch over the youngster and running off, probably to look for Hiccup.

The group of Vikings didn't seem much better off. They were clearly trying to get the other creatures to give Danny some room, but were just as worried and perplexed about what to do as the dragons they were trying to calm.

Without a word, the man crouched down to set Sam back on her feet. They didn't need the dragon's possessiveness to flare up on top of everything.

"Astrid!" he called out to the group. When several heads turned, trying to spot him, he waved his arm in the air.

"Finally!" the woman called back, "get over here! I think he's getting worse!"

Sam gasped behind him. He was about to run to the group when a surprisingly strong, small hand grabbed at his sleeve, holding him back. She looked ready to yell back a response, but her eyes suddenly grew wide with fright. Toothless had decided to come to them. Very fast. Hiccup's eyebrows shot up in panic as he watched the dragon barreling toward them.

"No! No, Toothless!" the man cried, throwing his hands out in front of himself, "STOP!" Surprisingly, the quick, black beast stopped in his tracks just shy of reaching the two. He tilted his scaly head in confusion. The dragon stared at the man a moment, looked back to where he had left Danny and returned his eyes to Hiccup questioningly.

The man, meanwhile, sighed in relief and straightened himself.

"Toothless," he began, ready to try explaining to the creature. The dragon, however wasn't listening and clearly didn't feel like being patient. In barely a heartbeat, Toothless leapt behind Hiccup, grabbed the back of the man's tunic in his teeth, and began to run, full tilt, toward the ailing Danny.

Hiccup yelled in fright as he was dragged along the ground. He thought he could hear Sam yelling for the others to stop Toothless. He couldn't be certain with the sound of his body and metallic foot scraping against the ground drowning out her voice. The man was proven right, though, when three scaly beasts suddenly tackled his carrier and he summersaulted, head over heels, to a stop.

Shaking the dizziness from his head, the man stood and ran unevenly to his dragon and shoved his pollen-covered sleeve right up to the creature's nostrils.

"Smell that, Toothless," he ordered hotly, barely keeping his tone even, "that smell makes Danny sick. Things with that smell on them hurt Danny." The dragon shook his head and started to squirm his way to freedom, but froze when his rider pushed the sleeve up against his nose.

"Smell it!" Hiccup demanded harshly. The dragon widened his eyes in shock and took an involuntary breath in. As the creature took another breath, more deliberately taking in the scent, the man let gradually relaxed his stance. The other dragons took that as a cue to let their fellow up and took a few retreating steps.

"I can't go over there because I have this smell on me," Hiccup explained as though speaking to an impetuous child, "this smell is very bad for Danny. Got it?" He watched the creature intently as the information slowly processed. The man saw the moment understanding settled into place. Reptilian eyes grew wide and clear guilt wrote itself all over the dragon's posture. Almost sullenly, Toothless began to chatter toward the other creatures. Stormfly's apparent guilt rivalled that of the smaller black dragon. Hookfang, Barf, and Belch lowered their heads sheepishly while Meatlug, still at Danny's side, nudged his head apologetically.

Hiccup nodded to himself and turned his attention to the other Vikings.

* * *

To say Danny was freaking out would have been putting it mildly. His breathing had definitely gotten worse, and he'd spat several globs of faintly glowing mucus onto the surrounding grass. At first it had been fascinating, and then he realized that he was probably coughing up ectoplasm while he wasn't in his ghost form. He wasn't sure if that was like coughing up blood, but he was positive that wasn't supposed to happen.

And then the dragons had shown up, clearly looking for him. They all huddled around him quickly, making it harder to get fresh, clean air. To make matters worse, at least one of them had been in contact with those little pests that had brought the Blood Blossom scent that caused the breathing problems to begin with. Though it was far less pungent than when it had been fresh on the smaller creatures, it still burned at his nose. An unpleasant tingle pricked at his hip and his shoulder from coming in contact with the pollen on their hides. He knew his skin would very quickly begin to burn as well.

Everything after that was a bit of a blur. At some point the Vikings had shown up out of the darkness. He might have roared, too, but he wasn't certain. He knew he was beginning to get hoarse from the fits of coughing that wracked his body.

By the time the chill in the air passed, he was a complete mess. Thanks to the efforts of the Vikings, the dragons had finally stopped trying to smother him, but that didn't make his breathing much easier. He was also still angry at the whole situation. He hurt all over, inside and out. His best friend was out there somewhere, in the dark, dealing with a clearly dangerous ghost, which was supposed to be _his_ job. Then he realized that at some point he'd started whipping his tail side to side like some angry house cat without realizing it. When had that started? He eyed the appendage suspiciously, as though it might have started the motion of its own volition. He didn't actually try to stop it, though. His wings, however… They'd started to creep up, but he folded them tightly against his back. It wouldn't help anything to accidently start threatening the others. Granted, a fight would have helped ease all the pent up aggression he was feeling, if he'd been in any shape for one.

Then the yelling began. He couldn't quite tell what was going on. It was dark, and Meatlug was blocking his view, but he could tell that Hiccup and Sam had found them all, which meant his Sam was safe. He grumbled at himself for that thought. She wasn't his. At least, not in the way that thought had framed itself. When he brought himself back to the present, he could hear Toothless explaining something to the other dragons. He was pretty sure he was communicating something about a good smell being a bad smell, and he was pretty sure that one of the noises was the one they'd designated as his. When the boulder-like dragon made her apology, he blinked at her for a moment in confusion while the pieces fit together. He hummed an acceptance. It was grating and wheezy, but the creature seemed to understand.

The next thing he knew, Hiccup was shouting across the field once again.

"Everyone!" he called out, "we're all going for a quick swim. Us and our dragons. Now."

"What? Why?" asked Ruffnut.

"Because your smell is making Danny sick," Astrid growled.

"So this is, what? Like, a bath?" questioned Tuffnut.

"Wait, what? A bath?" Snotlout spouted indignantly, " _Seriously_?! You guys just made me take a bath last week!"

"And we've all been better off for it," Astrid replied dryly. Snotlout's face twisted unpleasantly as he glared at the girl.

"Guys!" Hiccup yelled, breaking into the argument before it could gain traction, "the Night Terrors have been eating the Odin's Rose. Danny's curse pretty much makes that stuff poisonous to him."

"I've never read anything where a curse can do something like _that_ …" muttered Fishlegs, mostly to himself. Danny turned his eyes on the large Viking and frowned in thought. Hiccup hadn't mentioned much of what he read. Mostly the lanky man spoke of what he'd learned about other dragons and tried to get information out of either him or Sam.

Fishlegs, however, had spoken of his studies and what he'd read in their few moments of interaction. He'd accidentally gone into analyzing mode once or twice, but had quickly caught himself. He wondered if Sam had tried to ask him things. He suspected not, though. The man tended to go on long, rambling monologues when he hit a topic he found particularly interesting. It was a strange combination of enthusiasm to rival Danny's father and bookishness that reminded him of his sister. He shoved the thought aside as another wave of homesickness threatened to wash over him.

"Fishlegs!" Hiccup called out a moment later, "you probably have the least pollen on you. Escort Danny to the baths so he can get cleaned up. Make sure the Night Terrors stay away from him!"

The dragon saw Fishlegs' eyes light up with a sudden idea.

"You know, I heard that steam is very good for the lungs," he practically chirped.

"Yeah," Sam blurted out of the blue, sounding thoroughly annoyed, "that's why you're taking him to the baths. Now can we all get moving so we can help him _breathe_?!" A surge of gratitude had Danny feeling a little warmer. The girl was worried about him. She was thinking about _him._ He felt a little guilty for being the cause of her concern, but he couldn't help the slight grin that wormed onto his face. He could just make out her distant figure in the faint moonlight, standing hipshot with her arms crossed, attitude oozing out of her very posture. She was probably tapping her foot impatiently. That was _his_ Sam.

* * *

After Sam was situated on Meatlug's saddle, the group departed, leaving Fishlegs and Danny. Together, the two walked. The large Viking knew his Gronkle was a sturdy creature, but, as strong as this young black dragon appeared, the creature also looked absolutely exhausted and was still breathing raggedly. He noticed the small look of relief on the scaly features when he'd begun to lead the way on foot. It would be slower, yes, but it would probably be better for the dragon's health. Plus, there was the risk that he had some pollen on himself somewhere.

He'd seen a patch of burned scales illuminated by the moonlight before he began walking, and it looked fresh. It was particularly alarming to him because dragons weren't supposed to get burns on their hides. Ever. Yet, a bit of pollen could do that kind of damage. It was kind of terrifying…and also fascinating. The large man's mind was reeling, and he was fighting the urge to ask questions about it.

His mental efforts, however, were beginning to build up an uncomfortable silence between the Viking and the dragon. Such moments weren't normal between humans and the large reptiles, considering the creatures couldn't speak. Yet with Danny's clear intelligence, it just felt odd to not try to have a conversation, as one-sided as it might be.

Fishlegs forced his mind away from the curious development and cast it around for something he could talk about. He wrung his hands as he awkwardly opened his mouth to speak.

"So…" he began and cleared his throat, "the Odin's Rose is really that dangerous to you?" He cringed as the words left his mouth. He'd been trying to think up a conversation that _didn't_ focus on what had just happened. The wheezing dragon grumbled darkly and shot the man a look. Fishlegs was glad the moon didn't cast enough light for him to see the creature's face clearly. He was sure it would be a fear inducing expression if he could.

"Sorry," he squeaked sheepishly, his shoulders hunched and his eyes firmly looking _away_ from Danny. The silence between them was back and more uncomfortable than ever as they continued to walk through the night. After what seemed like forever, Fishlegs cleared his throat and tried again.

"You know, you and Toothless might not be the same species," he began slowly, and received a cynical snort, "but you're more like him than any other dragon we've come across." Danny snorted again.

"No, really. I'm serious." He eyed the shadowy creature, fighting the urge to make more scientific observations.

"I mean that in more ways than one. We _still_ haven't found any other Night Furies, and you're probably the closest that we've ever come across. _Plus_ , You're the first Phantom Wing we've found, so far." The dragon stopped mid-stride and stared at the man. Fishlegs suddenly found himself changing his mind about the darkness. He knew the creature was frowning, but he couldn't tell what kind of frown it was. Usually dragons were pretty hard to read, but from his few interactions with Danny, he'd found that his scaly features could contort into expressions that nearly spoke for themselves. After several tense heartbeats, the man figured out what the reaction was about. He lowered his head and grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry…We had to give your specie a name, at least," he explained, "that way, if we ever find more, we have something to call them." Danny whistled another dark grumble and began walking again.

"Sam was really not happy about us doing that, but for some reason she started laughing when we told her what we were going to call you." Fishlegs hadn't expected the bark of laughter that burst out of the dragon. He jumped in surprise at the sound and stared incredulously.

Only seconds later, the few short laughs turned into horrible coughs that ended with the dragon spitting a glowing wad of…something…into the sparse grass. He could only continue to stare as what had been an expression of delight warped into a face full of distress. It was a change that not even the darkness could hide. Clearly the glowing glob wasn't normal for him. The man frowned in concern.

"Come on. Let's get you into the baths," said Fishlegs. He began to walk again, his pace considerably faster than before.

* * *

After quite a bit more walking, the pair finally arrived back at the base. Fishlegs had begun to ramble about the few things he'd read about healer arts, not that he had the experience to apply any of it. They'd had to pause several more times for Danny to cough up what felt like an entire lung, or two. Maybe three. Biology wasn't exactly on his list of study priorities, but he was pretty sure reptiles were only supposed to have two lungs, and he had definitely hocked up more than that.

As they reached a familiar portion of the settlement, the large Viking welcomed the dragon back to his sanctuary and guided him to the bath. Steam curled almost seductively above the water in the moonlight. Danny eyed it longingly. After a week of cat baths from a bunch of dragons with fish breath, he could only anticipate the wonders of the hot liquid. He barely even noticed when Fishlegs excused himself to get some fresh torches for light.

Oh, how marvelous that water felt. Danny sank into the pool blissfully, a contented hum rumbling deep in his chest and rasping out his throat. He submerged himself almost entirely, leaving only his nostrils above the water. The steam had a slight sulfurous smell to it, but he found he didn't mind it. He raised his head up out of the bath to breath it in as deeply as his aching lungs would allow. Granted, he found himself coughing again as a result and felt a little guilty for leaving a glowing splatter on some nearby rocks, but he couldn't quite bring himself to regret it. The delicious heat was gently leeching the aches out of his muscles and the steam, though not magically curing anything, did seem to sort of almost be helping a little, maybe. At least his airways didn't feel quite so horribly dry.

Several minutes later, Fishlegs returned, skillfully setting torches into place before quickly lighting them. Soon, the area was bathed in a warm, flickering glow.

"Give me a minute, and I'll help you scrub your scales," said the large, blonde man as he set the last torch.

Danny scowled at the thought. He definitely didn't want help. It was one thing to let a bunch of dragons help him. They weren't human. They had no way of understanding _why_ he was uncomfortable with their help. There was no way he was going to let Fishlegs help him while he was taking a bath. He wanted at least a little time to himself. As the man drew closer to the water, Danny couldn't help the rasping growl that found its way out of his throat. His wings inched upward in agitation, and Fishlegs halted his progress uncertainly.

After a blink, the man took another confused step forward. Danny's irritation flared into anger. He wanted to take his bath in privacy, darn it! The pool might not have actually belonged to the dragon, but it was temporarily _his_ , and he was not about to let some guy anywhere near it as long as it was. In his fury, Danny's wings surged open, angrily splashing the hot liquid on the surrounding rocks.

Fishlegs fled with a frightened squawk and a look of sheer terror on his face.

With a grumpy grumble, Danny settled himself back into the water and forced himself to calm down. He was determined to enjoy his brief moment of privacy while he cleansed himself of several days-worth of dust, dirt, and dragon spit.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay...Not as long as last chapter, and not exactly on time... The day I was hoping to finish it had unexpected things happen.

Anywut...Next chapter will have the current situation resolved...Probably a time skip...and Things will likely happen. If I can make them fit. Can't say what things, but Things. With a capital "T".

It's awfully late now...or is it early? Sky isn't grey yet, so I've got that going for me, which is good. In any case...now that I've finished this chapter, I'ma go to sleep.

But first...

As always, thanks for reading. I love you guys. Seriously, I do.

 **EDIT:** Ugh...I should not proof-read my stuff at 1 AM. I looked it over just a little bit ago and realized how awkward a couple of phrasings were. So, I made some edits. Nothing major...just minor corrections that don't actually affect the story. If anyone else notices a phrasing that makes absolutely zero sense...please PM me.


	26. Chapter 26

"Wait, wait, wait… Danny did _what_?" Sam raised her hands to urge Fishlegs to slow down. His frantic report had been directed at Hiccup, but she interrupted the moment she heard her friend's name.

"He claimed mine and Meatlug's bath!" he cried out, distraught and wringing his hands in a near panic.

The group had returned from their quick dip in the ocean, their clothes soaked through and dripping. It didn't take much to convince most of the dragons to return to the stable, still looking quite sullen over having accidentally harmed the new addition to their pack. Toothless was clearly feeling the most guilt about the whole affair and stubbornly followed the Vikings, his head lowered remorsefully.

Together, they had walked quickly toward Fishlegs' hut, but he met them before they could arrive, gesturing wildly and frantically spouting a stream of words that all seemed to run together. Frankly, Sam couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying until Danny's name had been mentioned. That was the moment she cared what he was so wound up about.

"What do you mean he _claimed_ it?" she asked, her brows drawn together in concerned confusion. The fabric of her tank top made a very wet squishing noise as she crossed her arms. Claiming someone else's space really didn't sound like her friend. Yes, he was a bit defensive about his room back home, but that was because he was, well, a guy and a teenager.

"I mean, he got into the water and then chased me out!"

"He chased you out?" interjected Hiccup. He sounded surprised at that.

"Okay, maybe not actually chased," Fishlegs backtracked sheepishly, "but he definitely threatened me!"

Sam frowned. Danny only did things like that when his sister or parents stuck their noses into his room. He wouldn't do that with someone else's space…would he? Were the dragon instincts taking over again? She just didn't know, and she definitely did not like not knowing. It worried her. She could vaguely see Hiccup's frown by the light of the moon, likely almost as concerned as she was.

"Sounds like his aggression issues aren't as gone as I thought," the auburn-haired Viking observed disappointedly with a glance at Toothless. He turned his attention back to Fishlegs, his jaw set.

"Let's go," he said firmly, "Fishlegs, tell me what happened."

And so, together they jogged toward the large man's dwelling, wet footprints and fat drips of water trailing behind them on the weather-worn plankway. Fishlegs dove into his story once again, though he was cut off several times when he started on tangents or got caught up in unimportant details. Finally, Sam had had enough. They were almost there, and he still hadn't gotten to whatever had set her friend off. Worse, they'd gone off on a tangent.

"But why over a _bath_ , of all things?!" fumed Snotlout, brushing water droplets forcefully out of his tunic to make a point.

"Wouldn't he be able to smell Meatlug all over that place?" offered Astrid, her own confusion plain, "I mean, it would be pretty clear that it's pretty much claimed by another dragon, if he's the territorial type."

"Unless he's secretly got a dragon crush on Meatlug," chimed Tuffnut helpfully. Ruffnut nodded sagely in agreement.

"Terrible taste, if you ask me. Now, a Zippleba—"

" _Hey!_ " cried Fishlegs with an offended squeak, "I'll have you know, Meatlug is the _prettiest_ Gronkle—"

"Seriously, he's not interested in your dragons, so would you get to the _point_?" interrupted Sam with a shout, "what happened _right_ before he got mad? Like… _right_ before?" She glared at the large man as they continued on. His round face fell into a look of fright.

"I just offered to help him!" Fishlegs yelped, his hands raised defensively at the look on her face, "that's all I did, and he flipped out!"

The girl's face went blank and she stopped in her tracks, which resulted in her nearly getting run into by Tuffnut. The man yelped and leapt to the side to avoid her, instead crashing into Ruffnut. A small scuffle between the twins ensued and the rest of the group stopped to stare at her. She hardly noticed. The large Viking's words had sparked a memory.

"While he was in the bathing pool?" she asked, almost incredulously.

"Yeah," Fishlegs replied with a tense nod, "I usually scrub Meatlug's back. She has a little harder time with—"

Sam's short laugh of relief cut him off. She knew exactly what had happened.

* * *

Danny had been enjoying his bath quite a bit. Sure, it was a little awkward trying to coordinate his limbs effectively, and he found he rather missed the smell of soap, but, aside from his still irritated lungs, he was feeling much better after washing away the grime. He wheezed out a sigh of satisfaction and sunk a little deeper into the water. The dragon could almost picture himself at home, human once more and hiding from his nosy sister or over-eager parents. He had just begun to doze off when the sound of approaching voices broke him out of his sleepy reverie.

"No really," said the voice of Sam as it drifted over the wall, "we should probably give him some warning."

"Why would he need a warning?" The new one sounded like that woman…Astrid, Danny recalled. At least, he hoped he was remembering correctly. He hadn't had much interaction with her, so he wasn't entirely certain just then.

The dragon frowned and shifted in the warm pool. Who needed a warning? What for? His ears perked up as he tried to listen. His effort proved pointless, though. Seconds later, the gate that closed off the bath area swung open to reveal the Viking crew looking in on him. In the bath. Danny's eyes grew wide and he surged to his feet.

…Only to slip in his moment of panic, splashing water out of the pool onto the surrounding rocks. A pathetic, strangled squawk of a yelp escaped his raw throat as he fought to regain his feet. When he finally regained control of his limbs, he sunk as far under the water as he could, leaving nothing showing but the top of his head and his nostrils. He felt vaguely like a crocodile as he peered up at the shocked faces of the Vikings, Toothless, and one grimacing Sam Manson.

"That's why," said the girl, her tone flat. Danny could feel his face heating up with embarrassment. All those eyes were on him. He grumbled a stream of bubbles in complaint. Toothless edged closer to the pool, staring at him in confused curiosity.

"Guys, could you turn around so he can get out of the water?" Sam asked with an annoyed, heavy sigh.

"What?" asked Astrid as she scowled, "why?" She turned to the girl, the quick motion making her soaked braid swing heavily.

"Like I was _trying_ to tell you," Sam stressed, her arm gesturing widely toward the hiding dragon, "Danny likes his privacy. He's _obviously_ not going super territorial here, so just turn around so he can get out of the water!" Most of the group looked ready to protest their confused objections, but Hiccup was quick to prevent it.

"Guys, just do what she says," he said, a suspicious frown directed the girl, "you can argue all you want _after_ Danny can breathe again." The dragon tried to hum his thanks, but it came out as a whistling squeak that served only to emphasize the man's point. Toothless snorted in surprise but was soon ordered to turn around with the rest of the Vikings.

Danny was still uncomfortable with the situation. He knew he was being ridiculous. Sam had pointed out to him on a few occasions already that reptile anatomy and all his new scales meant he had no need to hide anything. However, the knowledge didn't help his embarrassment as he scurried out of the water, keeping himself as small as his bulk would allow. He wrapped his wings around himself tightly in an effort to feel a little less exposed as he shivered in the night air. The light breeze itself wasn't horrible, but the change in temperature from the hot water just made it seem a lot cooler. A blink later, he once again found himself wishing he could smack his own forehead. Ghost powers. Intangibility. He'd feel warmer again once he was dry.

It was a big mistake.

The moment he let the intangibility wash over him, the water droplets fell and so did he, writhing in agony. His lungs burned with renewed fervor as the Odin's Rose still in his airways attacked the ghostly energies he released. In a heartbeat, he was surrounded, lying on his side and gasping raggedly with one wing pinned underneath his mass.

"What happened?" cried an anxious voice.

"Is he okay?" asked another.

"Toothless, back off!"

"What was that?"

"How is he already dry?"

The voices began to meld together until one overpowered them.

"Danny, you numbskull!" scolded Sam's voice. It came from right in front of him. He would know that shout anywhere. He mentally clung to it to pull himself out of his pain induced haze.

"Did you seriously forget why you can't _breathe_?!" The dragon opened his eye a crack and offered what he hoped was a smirk. He was pretty sure it looked more like a grimace when the girl sighed at him and rolled her eyes.

"Okay," said Hiccup from somewhere near the Danny's chest, "so you clearly know this stuff better than we do. What stops it?" A concerned hum followed his words. Toothless was close to wherever the lanky Viking was.

"Well…That's…" the girl bit her lip and looked the dragon in the eyes. She sighed again and looked away.

"The only way I know is to destroy the flowers that caused it," she explained, "I'm not sure why it works like that, exactly. But there's no way we can tell which ones it came from, and we can't just burn the whole clearing…" Danny wheezed out an unamused huff and rolled his eyes. He wouldn't mind one bit if it went up in flames. Sam lightly punched his snout for it.

"No, Danny," she said with a glare, "we _can't._ It would ruin the island's ecosystem." The pointed look in her eyes hinted at the unspoken addition of the possibility of how it would affect the time stream.

"What if…" began Hiccup thoughtfully. Danny forced himself to turn his head to look at the man. He could see the Viking staring at Toothless, the gears in his mind turning furiously. Astrid was standing just behind him, looking on in concern.

"I have an idea," the man said, his eyes once again turned to the distressed dragon and the girl, "it's a bit…well…I'm going to need you to trust me. Both of you."

"What are you planning to do?" asked Astrid. She hadn't even waited for the pair in question to reply.

"You remember back on Dragon Island…?" he offered cryptically. The woman's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Wait," came Fishlegs' voice from somewhere behind Danny, "you mean with the Red—"

"Yeah," Hiccup cut him off, clearly not wanting him to continue.

"But wouldn't that—" it was Snotlout's turn to speak up from near Fishlegs. He was quickly interrupted as well.

"No. Not if we time it right." Danny was starting to get very annoyed at whatever it was Hiccup clearly didn't want him to hear. He huffed an irritated wheeze.

"But what if he—"

"Maybe it'll—"

"Can we just get on with this?" Sam burst out. The twins shut their mouths, grumbling at the injustice of everyone else getting to ask cryptic questions. It was anyone's guess as to why they had decided to stand near the larger dragon's tail. The girl rolled her eyes and turned back to the dragon.

"What do you think?" she asked him. Danny blinked at her and turned his eyes to Hiccup. Toothless pranced anxiously beside him. The larger creature frowned nervously but gave a tiny nod. Sam nodded back to him before turning to the man.

"Okay. What do we have to do?"

* * *

One brief and less than clarifying explanation later, Danny was lying on his belly, his feet tucked underneath himself. His head was on Sam's lap with her hands awkwardly pressed over his eyes. The Vikings had all been moved far away from him, surprisingly without question.

"Okay, Danny," came Hiccup's voice, now in front of him, "I want you to ready a fire breath, but don't ignite it." The dragon squeaked out a whine of confusion. He wasn't sure how to accomplish that; he'd never tried and, so far, had very little use for actually breathing fire. Nervously, Danny opened his jaws wide, struggling to remember even the sensation. Just as he was getting ready to give up, he heard Hiccup cry out.

"Now, Toothless! _Now!_ "

Danny didn't even have time to wonder what exactly the smaller dragon was doing before he suddenly felt as though his innards were exploding. Fire coursed through his lungs before rebounding back out the way it had gone in; not even his nostrils were spared the flickering tongues of flames. If Sam hadn't suddenly put half her weight on his skull, he was sure he would have reared back in his fright.

Nearly as quickly as it had started, the fire in his lungs vanished. A vague burning sensation lingered, but nowhere near as intense as the Odin's Rose had been. He stilled as he made the realization and Sam released her hold on him. The dragon took an experimental breath in. Yes, his airways felt a little singed, but it was better than feeling as though they'd been coated in acid. A smile crossed his face and he took a much deeper breath.

And quickly found himself coughing again. This time though, all he coughed up was a small trace of ash. He heard Sam release a breath in her relief and turned his eye toward her. Several Vikings followed her lead. Danny wondered if they'd forgotten to breathe until that moment.

"Come on, guys," said a suddenly very tired-sounding Hiccup, "let's all get some sleep."

* * *

The next morning found everyone sleeping in, recovering from the exhaustion from a tense, late night. It wasn't until several moments after waking up that Hiccup suddenly remembered the ghost. His eyes shot open and he sat bolt upright. They had trapped a ghost. A _real_ ghost! His adrenaline started flowing anew as he scurried to get ready for the day.

Eager to get a closer look at the being, he had gathered his riders, and a very grumpy Sam. However, after mounting the dragons and leaving Danny to continue sleeping, they hurried to the field only to discover the ghost had vanished. Something had broken the circle during the night, leaving an opening for the spirit to escape.

In a way, Hiccup was relieved. With the specter gone, he didn't have to figure out how to get rid of it. However, there was also the strong possibility that it would return. A possibility that Sam seemed to take some cruel delight in pointing out was more likely than not. Her face had twisted into a wicked smirk at Fishlegs' terrified reaction. The other Vikings had been quick to poke fun at the large man, until Hiccup pointed out the thing that had escaped was the same creature that had put the hole in Danny's wing. Their laughter fizzled to nothing in a heartbeat.

When they returned to the base, Sam had been quick to scamper back to her hopefully still sleeping dragon, while the other reptiles went looking for their breakfast. Snotlout's loudly growling stomach reminded them they hadn't eaten yet either. A look at their stores had Hiccup needing to come to a decision.

Sam's meatless diet had ravaged their supplies in ways they hadn't anticipated. No one they'd ever met ate the way she did, not even the strangest of merchants. The Viking had known they would need to go back earlier than planned when the girl showed up, but not that quickly. With a heavy sigh, he called for the attention of his crew, already gathered for breakfast.

"Everyone, I've got some bad news," he announced slowly, "we need to go head back and resupply."

"What?" squeaked Fishlegs, his mouth half full, "we haven't even gone out on a full expedition!"

"I blame you," Tuffnut flatly accused with a glare, pointing his slop-covered spoon at Snotlout. The shorter man sputtered indignantly.

"Shut up!" hissed Astrid, her glare silencing the two before their argument could even get started.

"No one is to blame," Hiccup said with a roll of his eyes, "we just weren't prepared for anything weird."

"In other words, it's Sam's fault," Ruffnut said calmly and took a bite of her meat.

"In other words," Hiccup drawled irritably, "things happen. Okay? We just need to go back to Berk. Anyway, we were going to have to go back eventually. Those two have to get home. If we're lucky, Trader Johann will be there and he can point them in the right direction."

The group groaned at the mention of the name. Yes, the man sometimes had useful information, but getting it out of him usually involved lengthy, rambling stories that made them wish a Thunderdrum would appear and sing a little song for them.

"Fishlegs," said Hiccup, turning to the large man, "I need you to come with me to talk to Sam and Danny."

"I'll come too," Astrid volunteered as she rose from her seat. Hiccup forced himself to smile. He was sure it looked more like a grimace, but he did his best.

"Okay," he said with false brightness, "that would be great!" He had been hoping to have an actual conversation, and he had decided seeing Fishlegs looking thoughtful was far less disturbing than seeing the same expression on Tuffnut or Snotlout. Sure, the man would be confused but no lasting harm would be done. Now they would have to use more round-about means. He didn't have a good excuse for turning down the woman's offer.

* * *

Far too soon, the three Vikings were on their way to the stables, leaving Snotlout and the twins to clean up the table. Hiccup was sure they'd find the aftermath of food fight when they returned.

As they neared the building, they could hear Danny's strange, almost human laugh, though it sounded hoarse from the previous night's ordeals. The lanky man paused and looked at his companions. They shared a look of confusion before continuing at a slightly slower pace, their steps softer to try to hear what was going on. The soft "thunk" of Hiccup's metal leg seemed far too loud against the wood and, sure enough, it was on one of those steps that dragon's sounds of amusement stopped abruptly.

They could hear the soft murmuring of Sam's voice asking something and an uncertain hum replying. The mumble of her voice continued and the reptile snorted. A series of hums and growls followed, almost as though the creature was trying to form words. Hiccup needed to know what he was trying to say.

With a pointed glance at his companions, the auburn-haired man gestured for them to come closer. He pointed at his prosthetic leg and raised his arms to either side. After a moment of dumbfounded blinking, they comprehended and stood to either side, his arms quickly grasping their shoulders to help support his weight and keep his far-too-loud metal foot from hitting the wood.

It was slow going, but eventually they were near enough to hear Sam's voice drifting through the door.

"No, Danny," she was saying, her voice slightly frustrated, "I really didn't hear anything. It was probably the ocean knocking something against one of those stilt things. Or maybe a little dragon dropping stuff."

The dragon hummed, a non-committal sound. Hiccup frowned. He still couldn't figure out how a creature could imitate humans so thoroughly. Sam had stuck to her claims that he'd been raised by their nomad clan and was cursed to think he was one of them, but it still didn't quite add up for him.

"Seriously, though," she added, her tone changing to amusement as she returned to what must have been their previous topic, "they thought you were trying to claim the bath as your territory. Fishlegs was totally horrified!" As the girl and her dragon snickered, Hiccup and Astrid cast the larger man a look to see his look of curiosity melt into a sulking frown. The lanky man smirked and rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the one-sided conversation.

"Yeah, I know. The great Danny Phantom won't pick a haunt of his own, but he'll claim someone else's bathtub."

The Vikings turned questioning looks to Hiccup. He feigned ignorance. It was a poor act, and he knew it. He was glad he wouldn't have to answer questions right then. The man couldn't remember if he'd told them about the ghostly curse or not.

Before he could even motion for them to keep quiet, Sam continued to speak.

"But get this. Do you know what they thought the reason for it was?" she asked. Danny hummed his question, a squeak of hoarseness breaking the note in the middle.

"They thought you were madly in love with Meatlug!" Danny's shocked squawk was followed quickly by laughter from both the dragon and the girl. Hiccup saw Fishlegs take a breath, preparing to protest. Before he could even squeak, the lanky Viking's arm quickly snaked away from Astrid's shoulder to clap a hand over the larger man's mouth, the woman's hand lightly slapped itself over his to reinforce the silencing.

"I'm not kidding!" Sam continued, almost breathless with mirth. Her voice then quickly sobered.

"Hey Danny?" she asked, as the dragon's laughter cut off, "I'm sorry about this last week… I guess I got so caught up in trying to figure out my own problems I forgot you might need help with this whole…turning into a dragon thing…"

Outside the stables, three jaws dropped. Hiccup and Astrid pulled their hands away from Fishlegs' face. The Vikings exchanged looks of shock and the lanky man very carefully put his metal foot down to steady himself. Whatever Hiccup expected, it definitely was not _that._

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, no time for a good, thorough note for everything I want to say. Just know that this chapter was delayed for many very good reasons, including a nasty cold. I know a chunk of this is a little rushed, but when I do my revisions, I'll fix that.

And now Danny can breathe and one cat is out of the bag. Huzzah! Again…If I've accidentally slipped in an inconsistency or a really outrageous error, please PM me so I can fix it.

In other news…Over three hundred follows now! Holy shamoley! I never thought I'd actually see that number! You guys… Seriously, you all rock my socks off. Like, to the moon! I'm so glad you're still enjoying the story! Even you lurkers. I know you're out there, and I'm glad you're still enjoying it, too. Much love for all of you!

As always, thanks for reading, and thanks for being awesome!


	27. Chapter 27

Danny was feeling fairly well rested when he'd finally woken up, in spite of the lingering discomfort in his airways. The majority of his injuries had finished healing, so he was no longer itching as terribly as the night before, and somehow, he'd gotten to sleep in without the other dragons pestering him or waking him up on their way out to gather food. He suspected Toothless might have had something to do with it, but he had no way of knowing.

Whatever the reason, he was glad. At that moment, he was particularly comfortable, all curled in on himself. Sunlight streamed through the opened doorway, warming his scales. A gentle breeze blew through the stable carrying the welcome tang of the sea straight to his nose. He didn't even try to prevent the purr that rumbled cheerfully in his throat. Lazy mornings and ocean breezes… A guy could get used to that.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty!" called Sam's chipper voice. His heart did an unexpected flip and his purring came to an abrupt end at the sensation. It was weird. Nice, but weird. He couldn't recall having Sam wake up before him the entire time they'd been stuck there. Or her waking up cheerful, ever. Did he miss something?

Slowly, he raised his head and opened his eyes to look around and find the girl sitting against a wall. Her hands were busily trying to weave together another pair of grass sandals. It looked like she'd finally figured out a method that might work.

"I just remembered it a little bit ago," Sam explained with a smirk. Danny blinked. He must have been watching her progress longer than he thought.

"You know that summer a couple years back?" the girl continued, "I was gone almost the whole time and I wouldn't tell you and Tucker where I went, right? My parents dragged me on one of their 'business vacations'. We went to Japan, and we stopped at this one place where a guy was making sandals to sell to tourists. He showed me how it was done, and I _finally_ remembered what he did."

She smiled at the memory. Her face fell, though, as she examined her work and held it out for Danny to see. The incomplete sandal was holding together, but it was a mess. Danny forced himself to smile and nod at her efforts.

"It's not like I've had a lot of practice in this sort of thing," she complained with a roll of her eyes. Danny couldn't help laughing at her reaction. Her eyes rolled again, and soon he smile was creeping back onto her face. With a playfully exasperated shake of her head, she stood, gathered her pile of grass, and walked over to sit by the dragon, opting to lean against his shoulder. It was unusual for the girl, but he wasn't about to complain. After the distance she'd been giving him the last few days and the horrible night before, he was just glad to have her company again.

The next several minutes found Danny listening attentively as Sam filled him in on everything that had been happening with the Vikings. Being stuck with babying dragons, it sounded like he'd missed a lot. Then she'd gotten to the events of the previous night. He was mildly concerned about what had happened with the ghost, but he did feel a little relief that they hadn't accidentally reduced the fellow to a puddle of goo. That had been his biggest worry with the plan. After all, the Odin's Rose seemed to be far more powerful than Blood Blossoms. However, the ghost was clearly out for dragon blood— _his_ in particular—and Danny was not about to let his pack-mates get caught in the crossfire. He blinked at himself for that particular thought. When had he actually started thinking of the other creatures as his pack?

As Sam continued to tell him of the Vikings and tell her sarcastic jokes, he found himself laughing. It was refreshing, and darn it all, he needed a laugh.

And then there was the noise outside. Danny had been so caught up in the moment, he'd briefly forgotten things weren't actually back to normal and tried to ask his friend if she'd heard it. It had come out in a jumble of sounds like it had the entire time they'd been stuck there, but Sam caught on and pretended she'd understood him. At her insistence, though, he shrugged it off, and they continued where they left off.

When she suddenly turned serious, he'd been worried for a moment, until she apologized out of the blue. For a moment, all he could do was blink at her. Danny knew she preferred to never regret anything, and there she was, apologizing a second time. After a moment, his face slowly split into a grin and he huffed happily at her. Maybe she just needed to know he remembered what she'd said. The concern on the girl's face melted away as he lightly nudged her with the shoulder she was leaning on.

"Astrid! Astrid, _wait_!" called Hiccup's voice from outside. Danny and Sam looked at one another, their faces mirroring each others' alarm. In an instant, both dragon and girl scrambled to their feet as the Viking woman stormed in through the door, axe in hand and murder in her eyes. Hiccup quickly raced in and put himself directly in her path. Fishlegs appeared in the entrance soon after, though he looked on timidly, unwilling to gain her attention while she was so furious.

"Get out of my way!" demanded Astrid. She narrowed her eyes as she tried to side-step the lanky man, but he cut her off, his arms spread wide to block her progression.

"Hold on!" he insisted, "I'm sure they can explain!"

" _Explain_? They've been lying to us this whole time, and you think we can trust them?!" She gestured at the pair with her axe accusingly as she spoke. Danny's wings raised threateningly as a growl rippled through his damaged vocal chords.

"They're not exactly a danger to us, Astrid!" Hiccup pointed out, "Danny can't even feed himself, and Sam doesn't have any real weapons! Just…just give them a chance, okay?" He looked back at the two with a grimace. Danny continued to growl until a small hand settled on his shoulder. The dragon chanced a look to his companion to see a scowl on her face as she shook her head. Slowly, his wings lowered, and he returned his gaze to the Vikings, distrust clear on his features. As much as he hated to admit it, they were still dependent on the help of those people. Hiccup was right. Without them and their dragons, he would have starved and Sam could have fallen victim to any number of horrible things. The creature snorted grumpily at that thought. He could barely even defend his best friend…his—his what? Danny cut off the thought quickly as his possessiveness flared. He did _not_ need his mind to wander down that road. There were other matters at hand.

"Fine," grumbled Astrid hotly after a tense pause. The woman finally lowered her axe, glaring at Sam.

"Fine," she repeated, "but no more mysteries. No more secrets. I've got a lot of questions—"

"You want answers?" Sam suddenly interrupted darkly. The corner of her mouth twitched at some hidden amusement and Danny narrowed his eyes. What was she thinking?

"I want the truth!"

"You can't _handle_ the truth!" the girl shouted fiercely. Barely a heartbeat later, she turned to Danny with a smirk.

"I always wanted to say that," she declared quickly, her voice almost giddy. The dragon groaned and shook his head in a mix of exasperation and jealousy. He'd always wanted to use that line, too.

"What!" she exclaimed, "it was a perfect setup!" Danny rolled his eyes at her, but smiled in spite of himself. Even her defensive tone rang with pride. Was that how he sounded when he used a choice pun?

The Vikings stared at her in disbelief. Danny couldn't blame them. The tension had been building, tempers rising, and then Sam had completely broken it with an incredibly appropriate movie quote. Not that a couple of young adults from heaven only knows what century would understand. Fishlegs was the first to break the awkward silence that settled between them all.

"What just happened?" he squeaked, wringing his hands uncertainly as he stepped further into the building. Hiccup and Astrid could only shrug numbly.

"Sorry," Sam said with a slight smirk, "It's a…well… It's kind of a thing where we come from." It was a lame excuse and Danny couldn't help shaking his head at her again. When she spoke again, her expression had fallen into a worried frown.

"Look," she began, "I really wish I could tell you everything, but there's a huge chance that it would mess up a lot of things back home."

Astrid's face began to darken with fury.

"Okay, I still don't get it," Hiccup said, pinching the bridge of his nose in confusion, "you keep saying that, but I don't understand how us knowing about you here would affect things so far away…"

"What do you mean, she keeps saying that?" asked Fishlegs, frowning at the auburn-haired man.

"That's what _I'd_ like to know," Astrid agreed angrily. Her eyes narrowed at Hiccup, who had become distinctly tense.

"Oops…"

"I asked him not to say anything," sighed Sam, "Danny and I have to keep our secrets. We don't even know how much is riding on it."

"So, you're telling us to trust you, even though you've been _lying_ to us?!" demanded the blonde woman. She began to raise her axe again. Danny decided it was time to intervene. He only hoped that it wouldn't turn out to be a huge mistake.

"I'm telling you that I can't tell you!"

Danny nudged Sam's shoulder with his nose. The girl, frustratingly enough, simply brushed him off. He tried again, with the same results. With a snort and a scowl, he sat himself back on his haunches. The dragon could only hope his next idea would work. He _really_ didn't want to have to get in the middle of something that looked like it could turn nasty.

"How about a _real_ reason, then?" Astrid barked out, "no more of this 'it could ruin something' garbage you keep spouting!"

"Sssss…." hissed Danny through his teeth. His eyebrows lowered. It just might work.

"Even telling you _that_ could put everything we know at risk!" Sam shot back.

"Sshaaa….Sssshhsssaaaaaahhmmmmmm…" he managed to rumble out, cutting off the Viking woman's next retort. The three humans froze and looked at him, but his gaze was fixed on Sam's astonished violet eyes. It hadn't been the clearest sound, but at least it was understood.

"Did he just…?" squeaked Fishlegs' terrified voice.

"Yeah," confirmed Hiccup, sounding stunned.

"No way…" breathed Astrid, not even bothering to hide her own consternation.

Danny tried to ignore them. He had finally figured out how to mangle his reptilian noises into something that resembled speech and he was trying to form his next word.

"Cht..tt….Tttehllllllhhh…" Based on the look Sam gave him, the creature knew the raspy word had come out far less clearly, but she eventually understood.

"But Danny…" the girl resisted, "you _know_ why we can't…"

The dragon scowled. His two words had been difficult enough to form with the reptilian maw. He huffed in frustration. Hoping she would understand, he glanced at Fishlegs before returning his stare to her and let his clear, blue eyes flash to acid green for a short moment. The large man and the blonde woman startled at the sight and took a step back in fear. Hiccup turned his head to see just a little too late, but Danny wasn't paying much attention to him. His gaze stayed steady on Sam's response. Her eyes widened in shock and her jaw dropped. She'd understood the message. Either she needed to tell them or he would.

Quickly, the stunned look on her face turned to a warning glare. Danny's eyebrows lowered. He refused to move on the point. The silent argument continued for a brief moment as the Vikings watched on with apprehension, until Sam finally threw her hands up in the air.

"Fine!" she huffed angrily as she turned away to cross her arms tersely. Danny couldn't help his smug grin. He rarely actually won arguments with her, and he'd just managed to do it without words. He blinked and was about to hum at her, but she beat him to the punch without even turning around.

"No, Danny. Still no telepathy," she grumbled bitterly. He couldn't help the plaintive whine that escaped as he hung his head in disappointment.

* * *

Astrid was not pleased. Hiccup had insisted that she put her axe away while Sam gave her explanation, and not having her weapon in hand around a potential danger made her uncomfortable. The woman had her arms crossed tensely, a glare twisting her features already filled with distrust.

"Look," Sam was saying, "we really aren't kidding about the whole, 'you knowing stuff could ruin everything'…thing. See…Where we're from, Vikings are already ancient history."

"You mean, the clans near you have already left?" asked Fishlegs. The large man watched her intently, though his face showed his unease.

"I mean, real Vikings don't exist anymore, period."

"I don't get it," said Astrid hotly, "we're right here. Clearly we exist."

"Wait..." Hiccup broke in, his brows lowered thoughtfully, "ancient history? As in legends? Like Bork the Bold?"

"Well…" Sam rubbed her arm uncomfortably and glanced at her dragon. The creature gave a bit of a shrug and a nod. Astrid narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It wasn't making sense. Next to her, though, she could hear Hiccup's sharp intake of breath. The woman glanced over at him and saw the look of shock and understanding that his face had taken on.

"You're from a different _time_ ," he breathed, almost in awe. Astrid snorted. That was impossible. The girl, however, nodded in resignation.

"Wait, what?" squeaked Fishlegs in surprise, "that can't be…"

"It is, though," sighed the girl, "I don't even know exactly how far back we are, but it's got to be at least a thousand years."

"A _thousand_?!" choked Hiccup. Astrid rolled her eyes.

"Uh-huh…" the woman said drily, "like we'd actually believe _that._ "

"We don't?" Fishlegs asked the other man softly.

"Of course we don't!" Astrid barked at him, not even giving Hiccup the chance to breathe before responding. How the men could fall for such a ridiculous story was beyond her. Then she directed her angry suspicion back at the pair in question.

"If that's true," she began, her voice almost acidic as she jabbed an accusing finger at the girl's shoulder, "how did you end up here? And while we're on it, what did you mean about Danny turning _into_ a dragon? I thought he was cursed!"

Sam visibly winced at the words, and Astrid's lips twisted into a grim smile. Her face suddenly fell as the rumble of a growl met her ears. She'd forgotten how possessive the girl's dragon was. Slowly, the Viking woman stepped back as the girl turned to tell the creature she was fine. When the creature reluctantly backed down, Sam turned back to the Vikings and rubbed her temples.

"That all…" the girl began hesitantly, "it's actually connected…" She looked at Danny, who gave her a nod of encouragement, and sighed heavily. Her hands nervously tugged back her ink black hair as she decided her next words.

"We should probably close the doors…" she said slowly, "I doubt you're going to believe any of this stuff without proof, and it would be a big mess if the dragons walked in…" Much to Astrid's surprise, Hiccup quickly agreed and shut the large doors, throwing the stable into darkness. The woman squinted, trying to see across the suddenly dim room. It wasn't pitch black, but with the sudden absence of the intense sunlight, it might as well have been.

"First…" announced Sam's voice, "I guess you should know _what_ Danny is so the story makes a little more sense." A broken, reptilian hum agreed with her.

"See…Danny isn't really a dragon at all," she began again, "well…I mean, he is right now, but he's not supposed to be. He's…uh… Danny, are you sure about this?" Her attention abruptly went to her dragon, her tone nervous. Another hum rumbled. It sounded to Astrid like the creature was just as anxious.

"He's—" Sam paused as she sighed again, "Danny is…half human…half ghost…"

For a moment, no one one made a sound as the words hung in the air uncomfortably.

"How…?" began Fishlegs, sounding befuddled.

"You're right. I don't believe it," Astrid said with a skeptical snort, "the curse story made more sense than _that._ "

"Actually," Hiccup drawled out, "It's got to be at least _part_ true. I've…uh…seen his ghost form…"

"WHAT?!" Had her head turned any faster, Astrid likely would have had whiplash. Her arms dropped to her side as she gaped, open-mouthed, at the slender Viking next to her. She could hear Fishlegs squeakily muttering dragon stats to himself, no doubt trying to keep himself from panicking. Before Hiccup could collect himself enough to explain, a bright light flashed nearby. All three Vikings turned to look.

Where Danny had stood just seconds before was a creature covered almost entirely in white scales, so much more brilliant than the driven snow that they even seemed to illuminate the stable. It took another heartbeat for the woman to realize that he actually _was_ shining, even his dark underbelly and the black specks along his spine. So were the unearthly green eyes that stared back at her. They were the same color as whatever it was Danny had been coughing up the night before, sickly green and toxic-looking.

"Oh Thor…" she murmured in shock. Behind her, a thud and a clank announced that Fishlegs had fainted. Hiccup sighed heavily. Astrid found herself unable to look away from the beast to see the expression on his face.

"Well…" said Sam with false brightness, "that makes one thing a little easier. Danny, _you_ explain."

The Viking woman didn't even get a chance to ask what the girl meant before suddenly, hundreds of pounds of dragon were rushing straight toward her. With a yell, she threw her hands up to shield herself and ducked down. A tingle of horrified anticipation shot through her, but nothing happened. After a moment, she awkwardly stopped yelling and looked around. The dragon was gone and Fishlegs was slowly bringing himself to a sitting position.

"W-w-what…" sputtered Astrid, "what just happened?" Sam seemed to be fighting back a snicker, and Hiccup was eyeing her sympathetically. The woman scowled and felt her blood begin to boil.

"What happened?!" she demanded fiercely, "where's Danny?! Where did that other dragon go?!"

"Sorry about that," said a new, hoarse voice. Astrid spun around once again to find the stranger, but there was only Fishlegs, who was rubbing his head with one hand, his eyes tightly closed in a wince.

"Who—"

"Yeah, that was me." The strange voice came from Fishlegs, who raised his free hand in a nonchalant wave. Astrid felt dread grip at her heart. The large man never moved so carelessly. Then his eyes opened. The Viking woman's hands fumbled shakingly for her axe.

"No no no no!" Fishlegs' hands waved frantically as the unfamiliar voice pleaded out of his face, "this guy is fine! I'm not going to hurt him or anything, it's just—this is the only way I can actually _talk_! Hiccup, a little help?"

"It's okay," the nasally voice said beside her. Hiccup's hand was suddenly on her shoulder, a calming and comfortable weight. She knew her image had already shattered, but she scowled at him anyway.

"Fishlegs is going to be alright," Hiccup affirmed a lopsided smile creeping onto his face, "it's just…weird at first, that's all." Astrid raised her eyebrow. Of all the moments for the man to decide to make an understatement… It took some effort, but she thought she managed to get the look of terror off her face. With a forced huff, she rolled her eyes and turned her hopefully surly-looking gaze back on the possessed Viking.

"So…Are we good? We're good, right?" asked the hoarse voice.

"More or less," Sam commented off-handedly. Astrid mentally disagreed, but settled for glaring instead.

"Okay, so where to sta—"

"HICCUP!" bellowed Snotlout's voice, effectively silencing Danny, "the twins are—!" What Ruffnut and Tuffnut were up to, they wouldn't find out. As the stout man burst through the door, followed quickly by the blonde duo who had clearly been pestering him about something, all gazes rounded on the newcomers. Then the three saw the unnatural glow of Fishlegs' eyes. As dawning shock and horror crossed the Vikings' features, Sam and Fishlegs palmed their faces in almost perfect synchronization.

* * *

"I _told_ you he was spawn of Loki!" shouted Snotlout, his finger slightly shaking as he pointed at the overshadowed Fishlegs.

"Would you stop calling me that?!" Danny shot back hotly. After Hiccup had rushed to close the door once again, it took several seconds to convince the three newcomers to calm down. The Viking had tried to explain what was going on, but clearly it had gone in one ear and out the other.

"I don't have anything to do with your trickster—Sam, he's the trickster, right?" Danny's borrowed eyes turned toward the girl.

"Yeah," she replied with a nod, "if anything, you'd be subject to Odin or Freyja." Her tone was matter-of-fact. Clearly, she had been studying while she was away, too. Danny nodded his appreciation and turned back to the group.

"So am I explaining now, or do I have to knock some people out?" The disguised ghost let his eyes flash more brightly to punctuate his threat. Several pairs of feet shuffled backward in alarm.

"No need," Hiccup said, his eyes narrowed at his crew, "we're all listening. And _none_ of us will tell a soul about it. Isn't that right?" His voice took on a less-than-subtle tone of warning. Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut hastily shook their heads murmuring hurried promises of compliance. Astrid crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, though Danny was sure that was her way of agreeing with the terms.

Awkwardly, he began his explanation once again. It was horribly uncomfortable to tell them what he really was. Before he could continue, Danny could see a look of intense confusion twist Astrid's features.

"Wait a minute," she spoke up, a hand raised in a gesture for him to stop, "how does that even work? I mean, how can anyone be just half ghost?"

"Actually," Danny's hoarse voice drawled hesitantly, "we're not exactly sure. There aren't a whole lot of, well, _beings_ out there that are like me. I'm not sure if being half ghost makes me half-dead, all-dead half the time, or if it means I'm just half made of ghost stuff now. If I were willing to risk getting caught, we could probably do the science and figure it out. But, as things are now… All I know for sure is that getting turned into one is definitely _not_ a pleasant experience." He shuddered and forced down the memory. Reliving that moment would be counter-productive and waste precious time before the dragons came back and wanted in.

"Anyway," he began again as he shook his head to clear his thoughts, but he was interrupted once again.

"So what was that whole ring of light thing last night? Was that a ghost thing?" asked Tuffnut, which surprised Danny.

"That was, well…" he took a breath, "I was frustrated and there was that ghost—I fight ghosts back home—and I was just done with everything—"

"He tried to go ghost in front of you guys," Sam cut in flatly, breaking off Danny's rambling. He twisted Fishlegs features with his embarrassed grimace. Several pairs of eyes blinked as they tried to process the information.

"Moving on!" Danny announced, not waiting for them to piece it together, "as you've probably figured out, we're not from anywhere around here, and we're not actually nomads, either. And if a certain Master of _Time_ doesn't want us spilling the beans, he'd better pop up now!" He waited a breath. Then one more. Nothing. No Clockwork scooping them up to save the timestream.

"Darn it," he muttered to himself. By then everyone but Sam was staring at him like he was nuts. Really, really nuts. The girl, however, looked almost as disappointed as him. Danny heaved a heavy sigh and ran Fishlegs' thick fingers through his straw-like hair.

"I was hoping—nevermind…" he cut off his attempt to defend himself. It was back to awkward explaining for him. He sighed again and dropped his borrowed hands.

"Sam and I are from a city that's thousands of miles from here and about a thousand years in your future," said Danny. He tried to sound mystical, but after it came out of his—or rather Fishlegs'—mouth, he realized it just sounded hokey. The effect was mostly the same, though Hiccup and Astrid had heard it already, so they weren't nearly as surprised or flabbergasted. The woman did, however, seem to be a little less disbelieving the second time around.

"See, the two of us and our best friend went into the…uh…I guess you guys would call it the underworld—" Danny's barely beginning tale was quickly cut off.

"The _underworld_?!" cried Snotlout in shock, "you went into the _underworld_? And you came _back_?!"

"Yeah," Danny replied with a nod of Fishlegs' head, "we have…kind of a doorway to it in my house, so it's not that tricky to pop in and pop out." He rubbed the back of his borrowed neck nervously. Hiccup frowned at him, but kept his mouth shut.

"So, we were exploring the… _underworld_ ," he continued, "trying to work on our map. We might have gotten a little distracted, so we stopped at this little island to check it out…"

"Speak for yourself. That was all you and Tucker," Sam grumbled.

" _Anyway_ ," he began again with a roll of his eyes, "we were looking around and I found this amulet that looked a lot like something that belongs to an ally of mine. Not sure if she's even been born yet, now that I think about it…" He paused at the thought.

"She has. She said sixteen hundred years," Sam pointed out, "I'm pretty sure we're not _that_ far back. We could be, but I doubt it." She had gone back to working on her sandals, not even needing to look up to make her remarks.

"Right," Danny cleared his throat…or rather Fishlegs', "anyway, we were on our way back to our…um…vessel…thing… Whatever. We were going to bring it to her and see what she thought we should do with it, and we got attacked."

"Why would you be that worried about a piece of jewelry?" questioned Astrid, as though it were the most ridiculous idea in the world. Danny blinked at her. The woman no longer looked on the verge of panic...or murder.

"This little 'piece of jewelry' is more like a magic relic…or…magic weapon…thing," he explained lamely, vaguely waving it off, "the thing basically turns the wearer into a dragon when they experience extreme emotions."

"And I'm guessing you put it on?" asked Hiccup with a concerned frown, "but how did you end up getting stuck like that? I'm pretty sure you haven't been that angry the whole time you've been here."

"Hang on," Danny raised Fishlegs' hands placatingly, "I'm getting there."

"Anyway, we got attacked by a ghost named Skulker," he continued, "nasty guy. Really, really wants my pelt. Or skull. Not sure which anymore."

"I think they get it," Sam broke in, "he's bad news." Danny grinned at her apologetically, even if her eyes _were_ glued to the sandal she was working on. The girl scowled and bit her tongue as she wove in a particularly uncooperative piece of grass. He forced himself to look away and back to the motley crew of dragon riders. Their faces had turned grim, though likely more because the thought had been uttered through their friend's face.

"So," Danny said, returning to the story with a shrug of Fishlegs' shoulders, "we fought. He threatened to hunt me down. I pretty much kicked his butt, like I always do. Only…Somewhere Sam and I got separated from Tucker… And, well… I didn't realize Skulker decided to self-destruct his mech—er…" He looked over at Sam, hoping she would supply him with something that would make sense in an ancient culture.

"He wore big metal armor that could move itself," she supplied, still not raising her eyes. Danny nodded in agreement. The Vikings looked at each other in confusion.

"What she said. He made it blow up," he finished, then took a breath to continue.

"Well… I'm not sure how, but I still had the amulet. I must have beaten him single handed—"

Sam looked up and glared at him. His brief fright flashed across Fishlegs' face.

" _Or_ I might have gotten a lot of help!"

Sam gave him one last stink-eyed glance before returning to her work. Danny sighed with relief.

"Well…I didn't really have much time to think," he went on, rubbing the back of his borrowed neck anxiously, "with all that shrapnel heading toward Sam... I just… I turned the amulet intangible and stuck it in my chest, and then we got blasted through a portal to your time."

"I still say it was a bone-headed idea," muttered the girl.

"It's not like my jumpsuit has big enough pockets!" he argued back to her. She rolled her eyes. It was a lousy excuse, and they both knew it.

"So, why don't you just get it back out?" Tuffnut chimed in. In fairness, it was an obvious question. But Danny glared at him for it, his eyes flashing more brightly once again. The Vikings gasped and stepped back, and he couldn't be sure if it was because of him, or because Fishlegs simply didn't seem like the glaring type.

"I've been _trying_!" he spat, "any time the dragons aren't _looking_ at me, I try to get it out!" To emphasize his point, he turned Fishlegs' hand intangible and reached through the man's chest and into himself. He heard a bit of retching when he did this, but he was so focused on what he was doing that he wasn't sure who had made the noise.

"It's like the dang thing is intangible and unreachable, whether I'm…ghost…or…." Danny felt as though the floor had dropped out from underneath him and he felt the borrowed knees begin to buckle. It seemed so long ago now, but he'd heard those words before. His eyes glazed over as the memory washed over him, and he found himself sitting down on the ground much harder than he intended to.

"Oh no…"

Sam looked up frowning with sudden worry.

"Danny? Are you okay?"

"Sam…I think," he swallowed hard, "I think I accidentally fused the amulet to myself…" He could feel the bile rising in his throat and hastily flew out of the borrowed body. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he accidentally made Fishlegs vomit. In the blink of an eye, the dragon had flown out and was soon pacing anxiously, wishing he had hair to pull at.

It didn't help any that he suddenly had his draconian sense of smell back. He nearly gagged on the scent of fear that suddenly filled his nose, some stale, some definitely fresh. There was also a trace of something in the air that made him sure one of the Vikings was going to need to change their pants. He grimaced and tried to shut out the smells so he could think.

"Guys," came Fishlegs' drowsy voice somewhere behind him, "I just had the weirdest dream…"

Danny continued his pacing, ignoring the Vikings and their bickering. How could he have fused something to himself? Hid didn't even think that was actually possible! Okay, so he knew it was possible for someone _else_ to do it to him, and his mind _insisted_ that his dark future was definitely a separate entity from him. But still, wasn't it just the same as what had happened back then? He'd eventually been able to get help, but the gauntlets that had been used that time did not exist yet. Not in his home time, and certainly not in _Viking_ times.

"Danny," said Sam, her voice firm. Her tiny hand pressed against his shoulder and he looked at her in surprise. When had she gotten up? Had he been that lost in his thoughts? He looked around to realize that the Vikings had all fallen silent and were staring at him. He forced a pained smile onto his face.

"We'll figure it out," the girl assured him. He looked back at her face and saw nothing but confidence and sincerity. The dragon heaved a sigh, his wings rustling as he repositioned them with a shrug. Hesitantly, Danny nodded. He had to have hope. He had to believe that they would get home and that he would find a way to change back. With another sigh, he turned his attention back to the Vikings. He was certain they would still have more questions, and even more certain that he and Sam were not about to get away with leaving them unanswered.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, my lovely readers… I know this chapter took a little longer than I planned, but holy buckets, it's also a lot more _words_ than I planned! Really, it was supposed to end at the point where Snotlout burst in. But I didn't dare leave it on that, because I'm pretty sure I would have been lynched for that. So, for the sake of preventing mob justice, you all get nearly two thousand words extra. And also, because I love you all. I would put a heart emoticon here if the site would let me.

Anyway…Exciting news! My special somebody got a promotion! Huzzah and good cheer! That means, with funds being freed up soon, we're going to be looking at moving, hopefully in a few months. That will probably happen between the end of this story and the beginning of its sequel. Don't know yet.

Oh yeah! Other things I need to mention… Now I know you all have noticed that I generally don't call out individuals in my Authors Notes, but I think this person deserves a bit of appreciation… JadeNoRyuu was awesome enough to send me a list of loose ends that I hadn't tied up yet. It definitely helped me plan out the revelation. I know there's a few more items on that list to go yet, but they'll get there. Promise.

Also… another person made me a fan art! X3

phantoms14 dot deviant art dot com (slash) art (slash) A-Girl-and-her-Dragon-635827437

I really hope that works, because getting art made for my story makes me feel all kinds of squishy and happy.

Anyway… And thanks for all the favorites and follows and reviews and love! You guys, seriously. The day after chapter releases is my favorite day, and I have to fight the urge to look at my messages when I hear the alert noise. …My alert noise is a moogle. No judging now. ;)

So…All that's left…

As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

 **EDIT:** Fixed the art info thing-a-ding... It should work now. Phantom J. Ryder, thanks for the heads up on that. I guess FF is getting a little more finicky about links getting posted. :(


	28. Chapter 28

The bickering had been annoying, but the awkward silence that followed was almost worse. Hiccup had managed to quiet the crew only to find that the glowing white creature…being…whatever… was pacing anxiously. It wasn't until after the girl had calmed him that he even seemed to remember the Vikings were there.

The lanky man frowned as a distinct odor wafted through the still air. Someone was not handling the revelation well. He hoped that a dragon's sense of smell wasn't _too_ much stronger than a human's.

"I take it you're going to need another volunteer, then?" Hiccup asked. Danny glanced at Sam briefly before nervously nodding his head again.

"Not it!" shouted Snotlout, his fear written all over his wide-eyed expression.

"Wait, what?" came the voice of a still somewhat dazed Fishlegs, finally on his feet once more.

"Me! Me!" cried Ruffnut. Tuffnut quickly shoved her aside.

"No, me!"

"I want to try it!" Unsurprisingly, the twins began to slap and push each other, each declaring that they wanted to experience the weirdness Fishlegs had been subjected to. Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. A confused and pained look crossed Danny's face as he watched the fighting Vikings. The lanky man raised an eyebrow at him. Understanding escaped him for a moment before he remembered that the dragon hadn't wanted to borrow the body of a woman. Taking a deep breath, he pointed at one of them.

"Tuffnut, you're up," he said flatly.

"HA!" the twin bleated in celebration. His sister promptly punched his shoulder and glared at him. Hiccup rolled his eyes at the two in exasperation.

Looking hesitant, the white dragon started forward. Hiccup could see Astrid cringing out of the corner of his eye, as though she were forcing herself to watch and trying to not look horrified. Snotlout, however, made no such effort. The shorter man edged back nervously to keep out of Danny's accelerating path. Ruffnut's shifty expression as she stood cross-armed and sulking next to her twin made Hiccup suspicious though. He didn't know what was going on in her head until it was too late.

Just as the scaly being reached Tuffnut, arms stretched wide and eager for the weirdness, his sister shoved him aside to take his place. The dragon was too close. He couldn't stop his momentum and the Vikings watched in a sort of sickened fascination as the large creature seemed to phase through her skin and vanish, almost as though the space where she stood had sucked him in. A look of astonishment crossed her face before she blinked and her eyes turned to that strange, glowing green that showed Danny was in control. Then, ever so slowly, her features twisted into an expression of horrified disgust.

"Ohhhh…I was so hoping to avoid this…" she muttered. It wasn't her voice, though. Her chords had been taken over by Danny's hoarse tones.

"Not fair, Ruffnut!"

"Woah…" Fishlegs squeaked in shock, "I was like _that_?"

"Oddly, not as weird as Snotlout looking like he's thinking," Hiccup commented lightly. The stout man was quick to protest.

"Hey!"

"I really don't get what the problem is," Sam chimed in with a frown, just barely cutting off the impending argument, "just don't think about it." The girl sat on the ground and began to work on her sandal once more, seeming completely unconcerned.

"Sam," Danny's voice said drily, "I'm a teenaged guy. There are some major differences, and I can't _help_ but think about it. Besides, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with my—I mean— _her_ arms." He flailed the borrowed limbs in emphasis. The girl rolled her eyes at the overshadowed Viking, who grumpily began to cross her arms before she froze and awkwardly dropped them to her sides. A slight blush rose to the woman's cheeks as a scowl crossed her features.

"This is so wrong…" Astrid muttered to herself.

"So just switch bodies," suggested Sam. Hiccup raised his eyebrows. Was the whole thing that simple?

"I—but—it—!" Danny's voice stuttered for a moment. Heaving an aggravated sigh, he pulled a face of irritation before the borrowed eyes closed. A flash and a blur of motion later, and the woman reopened her once again blue eyes, only to double over from dizziness and confusion.

"Not as cool as I thought it would be," groaned Rufffnut.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Danny's voice spoke through her brother, his original target. The woman's jaw dropped and she took a step back from the man who looked just as dizzy as she did.

"So, so wrong…" Astrid mumbled, her distress beginning to creep into her voice. Hiccup placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic half grin. She looked as though she had tried to give him a grateful smile, but it ended up more of a grimace.

"Was that so bad?" Sam asked smugly.

"No," Danny replied, his borrowed face scowling, "but it takes more energy as a dragon, and I'm not used to switching who I overshadow so quickly. Honestly, it's a little disorienting."

"As interesting as this is," Hiccup started, cutting off opportunity for the girl to give a smart remark, "we really should get back to business before Toothless comes back with your breakfast."

Tuffnut's face twisted into a grimace.

"About that…" Danny drawled, "…isn't there anything else I could eat? Anything that's not, you know, cold, slimy, regurgitated fish?" Hiccup winced. He hadn't thought about the food situation until that moment. The man could sympathize. He shuddered at the memory of when Toothless had shared lunch with him.

"I really wish I could tell you there was…" the auburn-haired Viking said, his words earnest and regretful, "but…" He paused, uncertain how to continue his thoughts tactfully. He wasn't certain if he was glad or not that he didn't have a chance to figure out how.

"A dragon of Danny's size?" Astrid broke in, her words directed to Hiccup, "I don't think there would be enough meat in _Berk_ to keep him fed without completely wiping out the livestock." The woman put her fists on her hips solidly. Hiccup shrugged. She was right, and he couldn't deny it.

"Couldn't he just cook the fish?" suggested Fishlegs helpfully. The overshadowed man's face brightened slightly.

"Bad idea," Sam cut in before anyone else could take the thought further, "ectoplasmic fire."

Danny grimaced behind Tuffnut's face at the reminder, "eugh…Definitely don't want to turn disgusting into disgusting and _reanimated_. I do _not_ want breakfast to turn into 'Attack of the Killer Zombie Fish Sticks.'"

Hiccup wasn't the only Viking to recoil at the thought. He shook his head, trying to banish the unsettling imagery.

" _Anyway_ ," he said, stressing the word as much as he could, "back to busine—"

"Wait a minute," Astrid interrupted once again on a sudden thought, and pointed to Sam, "you said that he's subject to Odin or Freyja…" She quickly rounded on Hiccup, "and _you_ said he was allergic to Odin's Rose and Freyja's breath..." The woman began to scowl.

"That's right!" Fishlegs said, his eyes wide with sudden realization before his face fell in confusion.

"But…that doesn't make sense," continued the large man, scratching his head as though trying to piece things together, "how does something like that happen, anyway?"

"Would you both stop _poking_ me?!" yelled Danny. Hiccup turned to look at the overshadowed Tuffnut just in time to see Ruffnut and Snotlout recoil, grasping their fingers as though afraid they would get bitten. The blond man's arms were crossed tightly and his shoulders shrugged up in clear irritation. His currently green eyes blazed brightly in warning.

Hiccup sighed and palmed his face. The whole thing was taking far too long. Everyone was getting distracted, and the dragons were due back any moment to feed their adopted youngster.

"Can we _focus_?!" demanded Hiccup fiercely, "Toothless and the others are _not_ going to be happy if…" His words fell off as his brain ground to a halt. Another part of the puzzle had unexpectedly fallen into place and his eyes grew wide in shocked understanding. His jaw dropped.

"Uh…Hiccup?" Fishlegs cautiously waved a hand in front of the man's face, dragging him back to reality.

"You…" Hiccup pointed at Danny's borrowed body, but abruptly redirected to Sam, "but you said… And then…" The man ran his hands roughly through his hair and paced back and forth a few times, muttering to himself. It was impossible! Yet everything he'd heard led to just one conclusion. The man knew the others were staring at him as though he'd gone mad, but it hardly mattered. Somehow he'd figured it out. He must have. He stopped and stared at Danny's bizarre, glowing eyes. His arms fell limply to his sides.

"That's how it happened…" he said softly, his voice a blend of sorrow and amazement, "you opened the door to the underworld…in your own home…"

The Vikings gasped and stared at the overshadowed man who wore a pained grimace on his face.

"Yeah…Not one of my brighter moments," said Danny, his hoarse voice straining to sound lighthearted. He forced a smile and glanced at a guilty-looking Sam. Hiccup's eyebrows shot up.

"It wasn't even your idea, was it?"

"Moving on!" Danny said loudly, clapping his borrowed hands, "You needed to talk to us about something, and we're running out of time."

Hiccup frowned. The change of subject was as subtle as a hammer and twice as blunt. The rest of the crew seemed just as startled by it as he was. Sam, however, seemed a little withdrawn. The dragon was still trying to protect her, he realized. If that's what Danny was going for, the man would let it drop.

"Well…to put it bluntly," the Viking began, "we're running low on supplies. How soon do you think you can learn to fly?"

* * *

"Two days, Danny? Really?" Sam asked the dragon, her eyebrow raised.

The once again black creature shrugged and nodded. The discussion for the plans had been brief, and even then, it was cut short by the return of the other dragons. Hiccup had quickly shooed the Vikings out when Toothless began to gag. Sam scurried after them, whether to give him some privacy or to avoid the disgusting sight Danny wasn't sure, but he appreciated it all the same. He was a little less glad that he hadn't blacked out for the meal at all, though he still couldn't stop himself from devouring the gruesome offering hungrily.

After his ghastly meal, Stormfly had been quick to jump in to help him clean his face, but the smaller black dragon scolded her and insisted on teaching Danny how to do it himself. It was just his luck that Sam had decided it was probably safe to return right then, and promptly walked right back out to fail at hiding her laughter. Embarrassment, however, was not going to get him out of the lesson, and so he had to mimic the smaller dragon until his face was deemed clean enough. Surprisingly enough, after that was done, the dragons left him alone, though it wasn't for lack of interest. He was fairly certain Toothless was trying to make up for the previous night and keeping the others at bay. It made communicating with Sam a lot easier when she decided to come back in, even if it took a little while for her to quit smirking at him.

In all, she really didn't seem to think the plan was realistic, but Danny didn't think there were a lot of options in the matter. The Vikings were running low on supplies, particularly the vegetables and bread. Though most of the group didn't mind increasing their meat portions to compensate, it also meant one of their guests was likely to starve if they didn't leave soon. Danny couldn't let that happen. Not to Sam. If he had to learn to fly in two days, he would do it.

As the thought crossed his mind, he felt a flare of that strange possessiveness. He shook his head to get rid of it, only to have his friend raise a dark eyebrow at him. The dragon grinned sheepishly back, inwardly glad that he was physically unable to explain himself. The girl couldn't press for answers if he couldn't give them.

"Hiccup and Astrid were still outside, by the way," Sam remarked. As Danny made himself comfortable in his portion of the stables, the girl gathered up her supplies for the sandals and made her way back over to him. The dragon hummed a questioning note, hoping she would continue.

"It's going to be a pretty long flight from what it sounds like," she explained as she set her things down and sat on the floor next to him, "about a day and a half, if they fly straight. They're thinking we'll have to take a different route so you have a chance to rest your wings." Danny frowned in thought. He didn't like that they would be taking a longer path just for his sake.

"Cut it out, Danny," the girl said with a sigh and a roll of her eyes, "you would do the same thing if it were the other way around, and don't try to tell me you wouldn't." Without warning, she leaned backward to fall against his shoulder. A noise of surprise escaped the dragon's throat, and several reptilian eyes darted to his location to make sure he was alright. Danny grimaced and muttered the tones he had figured were reassurances.

"You know, it's amazing," she began, then cut herself off as though considering her words. Danny raised an eyebrow at her and vocalized his confusion.

"Never mind." The girl shook her head and picked herself up, apparently changing her mind. The dragon couldn't help but whining over his inability to understand.

"I'll tell you later," she promised as she quickly turned away to hide a slight blush, "right now, you need to start learning how to fly if you're going to make it to their home island." Sam quickly gathered her things once more and scurried out the door. Danny couldn't help whining again. The girl could be just so _confusing_ sometimes. Toothless hummed a question at him from across the large room. With a sigh, the larger creature looked over and stood up. Sam _was_ right, though. He had some lessons to ask for.

* * *

And so, the first day of heavy-duty flight training began. Once Toothless understood what the larger creature was asking for, he was eager to help. Danny suspected he was still feeling guilty. His new teacher tried to keep the other dragons from getting involved, but it was no use. His one-on-one lessons had become a pack affair. Even Barf and Belch got involved, though it seemed they were more in for the laughs than to actually help.

As it turned out, dragons _did_ laugh. Though, if Danny hadn't been forced into finding out how to communicate on their terms, he probably never would have recognized it. It was a strange sound that blended in almost completely with their humming and chattering. Once he'd figured it out, and realized that both heads of the creature were laughing at _him_ , he rolled his eyes and snorted in annoyance. It was a little like training with the Far Frozen all over again.

The hours ticked by, and the dragons had him mimicking their wing and tail motions, sometimes chasing him up and down the base and off into the field at the top of the cliff to get him using the appendages to help him keep balance or redirect his path more quickly.

After a while, they quite suddenly decided that it was time for him to rest. Danny was exhausted, but he wanted to keep going. Unfortunately, his plot to pretend to snooze and sneak away while they slept was quickly foiled. The moment he curled up to fake his nap, the other dragons decided to pile up around him and enforce their decision. He groaned in his disappointment and received several sounds of amusement.

That night, after several more sessions of training, separated by brief naps, Danny stumbled into the stable with the rest of the pack. He was nearly asleep when Sam returned, her newly finished sandals on her feet. The creature couldn't even recall if she'd spoken to him or if he'd tried to tell her anything.

The next morning, the dragons woke him up bright and early to eat and get back to training. At least, he was fairly certain it was early. Sam had been sleeping, and yelled rather violent threats when the chattering of the excited creatures woke her up. He hadn't realized the reptiles would be so eager to get him up in the air. It made him a little nervous. Then, far more quickly than he was prepared for, they herded him out into the dazzling sunlight to exercise his wings.

And chase him. Of course, they wanted to start the chasing quickly. Danny wouldn't have minded that too much. It was a little annoying, but it did get him practice actually _using_ his wings. The problem he had was where they were chasing him.

He didn't realize it was a cliff until he was already falling. And screaming. Hookfang had followed him over the edge and was diving gracefully alongside Danny's flailing form. The creature scolded him and nudged his wings. It sent just enough of a jolt through the black reptile that the large membranous limbs opened on sheer instinct. Suddenly, they were filled with the rushing air and his descent all but stopped. An ungainly beat of his wings slowed his fall further as Hookfang pulled out of his dive to guide him. Somewhere above him, he could hear the bugling of several dragons celebrating his success at the top of the cliff.

A smile crept onto Danny's scaly face as he continued to awkwardly flap his wings. He might not be the most graceful dragon, but he was in the air, _not_ using his ghostly energy. Not bad for a C average student.

As he slowly made his way through the air, most of the dragons dove down to join his clumsy flight and encourage him back to where Toothless awaited their return. The smaller creature peered over the edge of the cliff, his tongue lolling out between his gums as he watched on, looking ecstatic. It took Danny a moment to remember that Toothless almost never flew unless Hiccup was with him. All the same, the moment he landed, the smaller creature circled around him gleefully, looking quite proud.

Then chased him right back off the cliff.

Other than that new exercise being thrown into the mix, the day proceeded much like the one before. Train, nap, get chased over a cliff. By the time the day ended, Danny was sure he'd been herded over that same ledge over a dozen times. He finally felt confident in his ability to remember to open his wings rather than just fall, and Barf and Belch quit laughing at the way he flew, so that had to mean he was improving. At the very least, it meant that he no longer looked _completely_ ridiculous in his efforts.

As he stumbled through the doors of the stable after the rest of the dragons, completely exhausted once again, he took a deep breath. They would be leaving the next day. He just hoped he was as ready as he promised he would be.

* * *

 **A/N:** Guys, I'm so sorry this update took so long. I can't really tell you the details of why, either. It was just kind of a rough time in Doom-Land. Real life needing attention, People needing face time. Also, my significant other and I were waiting on some news that put me in a head-space that was kind of heavy and not good for writing a light-hearted story. Now we have that news. It's not great, but it's not horrible either. In any case, I was not about to subject you all to the jumble of letters my keyboard was spewing. But still, thank you all for sticking with me. It means a lot.

So, I know this chapter is a little on the shorter side, but if I didn't cut it off where I did, you guys would be up in arms over the cliff-hanger that would have come of it. Aaaaand, since the holidays are coming up and I'm not sure how much time I'll have for writing, I didn't want to do that to you. Also, I'm kind of thinking of doing a holiday one-shot, but we'll see how that goes, too.

Oh yeah! There are more artses for my story! The algorithm to prevent links is getting more finnicky, so let me know if it stops working.

The new one from one of you lovely readers is:

Weshney (circle) deviant art (speck) com/art/The-Phantom-Wing-644218571

I've made a new one too, for the heck of it. I've got the first one somewheres in that gallery…

Pleasantdoom (point) deviant art (doot) com/art/Nap-Time-641066666

If you haven't seen the previous ones, I'ma give you the addresses for those, too.

Seantriana (it's a dot) deviant art (and another dot) com/art/Speckles-of-stars-596958197

phantoms14 (Dot to the dot) deviant art (of the dot) com/art/A-Girl-and-her-Dragon-635827437

As always, thank you all for reading! You guys rock! And good heavens, thanks for all the reviews! If you notice a mistake, please PM me so I can fix it...be it a continuity error, spelling/grammar mistake, or total redundancy of _anything_. Seriously.

 **Edit:** A couple of typing errors were pointed out and corrected...and one phrasing issue that I suddenly decided was mildly confusing. Thanks, guys!


	29. Chapter 29

It really was amazing, Sam thought to herself. Danny, the goofball, her best friend, had managed to figure out how communicate with yet _another_ non-humanoid specie. Not only that, he'd managed to pretty much become one of them in more than just appearance. If she had been in the same position, she wasn't sure she would last a day without finding one of them trying to kill her. He'd taken on the challenge with a much better attitude than she would have been able to. Not only was he figuring that out, he was still watching out for her.

She frowned inwardly. He was doing a lot to take care of her, going as far as to do something he knew she would find offensive so she could stick to the lifestyle that clearly didn't work among Vikings. It was almost as if she was some sort of Damsel in Distress, and Sam couldn't stand that thought. It was high time she took care of herself. Her brows knit together in determination. With a deep breath, the girl pulled on her newly completed sandals and stalked away. With Danny's flight lessons having just become a pack affair, she knew he wouldn't even notice her leaving.

Once her feet started moving, Sam refused to let them stop, no matter how conflicted she might be about her decision. If she quit walking, she might give up on her plan and turn back. That wouldn't help her _or_ Danny at all, and there was only so much she could do for him. She needed to pay back the massive favor she never asked for, and what she was doing was the first step.

But…It was just so _wrong._

The girl shuddered at the thought, but forced herself to keep moving. All too soon, she was standing outside a heavy wooden door. Her fist raised slowly, hesitantly. With a deep breath, she braced herself and knocked. For her purpose, the sound was weak and pathetic. Did the door not understand the weight of what she had come to do? She scowled at the wood, almost offended by the inanimate object. Sam raised her fist once more, and pounded fiercely against the heavy, stubborn panel.

"Sam?"

The girl whirled around in surprise at the voice behind her, her heart racing about a mile a minute. She put her hand to her chest to calm her breathing as Hiccup stood there staring at her in confusion.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" he asked, looking around, "I thought you would have been with Danny… I mean, he _is_ learning how to fly, right?"

"No. I mean, he is. But…" Sam sputtered, then growled in frustration. She was sounding just like the boys. With a huff, she straightened her shoulders and tried again.

"I was looking for Astrid," she explained quickly. Hiccup raised an eyebrow. Sam tilted her chin up, an effort to help her look more confident than she was feeling. She had no idea if it was working, but, after a brief pause, Hiccup raised his other eyebrow and looked around again. It might have been her imagination, but the man looked a little nervous.

"She's sharpening her weapons…told me she needed her other whetstone," he said, his face pulling into a slight grimace, "she does _not_ like distractions when she's in the middle of that."

"Oh…" Sam's eyebrows drew together and her shoulders slumped in disappointment. Hiccup's lips turned downward in concern and his brows drew together. With a quick glance toward the sky, he heaved a sigh and turned back to the girl.

"Hang on. Let me get that whetstone and we'll see if I can help." The man opened the door and disappeared within the hut. Sam only had a short time to wait before he returned and motioned for her to follow. With a nod of agreement, she turned, and the two set off together.

"So…" began Hiccup awkwardly after several seconds of awkward silence stretched between them, "what is it you were going to ask Astrid? I mean if it's a girl thing, you don't have to t—"

"It's not a girl thing," Sam growled out, her face feeling warm with embarrassment. After the argument they'd had over the saddle, she was hesitant to ask him. Her pride was still a little tender about it, even days later. The girl bit her lip and screwed her face into a scowl. The awkward silence returned and her expression soured further. Why were the silences around him always so uncomfortable?!

"Danny knows where you are, right?" Hiccup asked suddenly. Sam turned her head to look at him in confusion.

"No…With all the dragons teaching him to fly, he was a little distracted when I decided to come down here."

The man frowned and glanced at the sky again. After a breath or two, he looked at her again.

"Well, now that I know he actually _is_ a human in there, I need to ask…" he paused as if trying to find the words. Sam raised an eyebrow at him, more confused than before. The man heaved a heavy sigh.

"Is there something going on between the two of you?"

Sam tripped over her own feet and froze at the question. Her brain ground to a halt to process what she had been asked. Then, wide-eyed, she rounded on the Viking in full denial mode.

"What? No! No! Definitely not! I mean, he's my best friend!" Her arms flailed wide and her cheeks blazed a brilliant shade of pink she had no hope to hide. Hiccup gaped at her in alarm and Sam stopped her wild gesturing just as suddenly as she had begun. Her posture drooped a little as a sad smile crossed her face.

"I'm pretty sure he'd never see me like that, anyway," she said trying to sound nonchalant. The man raised his eyebrow again.

"He's awfully protective of you," he drawled slowly.

"He's protective of a _lot_ of people," Sam replied, rolling her eyes at the hinting she'd heard in his voice. Hiccup coughed out a short laugh and continued walking.

"Clueless…" he muttered in amusement. Sam glared at him. She wasn't the clueless one. She knew Danny better than anyone else. The girl crossed her arms with a furious huff and followed after him. The man had no right to assume he knew anything!

"So why _were_ you looking for Astrid?" Hiccup asked after only a short pause.

"I was going to ask to borrow something," Sam answered crossly. A part of her wondered how horrible it would be to bring her request to Ruffnut, but that idea was very quickly squashed.

"Oh. You know, if there's something you need, I'm sure any of us could get it for you from the supply hut. Did you need some tools?"

"No, I don't need any tools," the girl groused.

"Materials?"

"No."

"Blankets?"

"No."

"Books?"

"No!" she barked, having finally lost her temper, "I can't even _read_ your language! I need to borrow clothes! Are you happy?! I need to borrow some of Astrid's clothes so Danny doesn't worry about me getting cold on the flight! I'm going to wear the skins of murdered, innocent creatures and ride on a saddle made of _death_ so my best friend doesn't wear himself out trying to keep up with you guys _and_ keep me from freezing!" By the time she finished her tirade, she was on her tip-toes, mere inches from the man who had raised his hands defensively. Had she been taller, she might would have been nose to nose with him, but the man towered over her easily. Even so, her fury had made her quite intimidating, judging by the stunned look on the Viking in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she stepped back to cross her arms once more and scowl at nothing in particular.

"Is that all?" Hiccup asked, a slight grin slowly replacing the shock on his face. Sam glared daggers at him daring him to mock her. Instead, he began walking again. After a beat, she jogged after him, dumbfounded that he hadn't given a biting or sarcastic comeback.

"What, no gloating?" she growled darkly.

"Nothing to gloat over," he replied simply with a careless shrug. The girl blinked at his back and dropped her arms to her side.

"Gustav left some of his stuff behind last time he was here," Hiccup started, "We've told you about him, right?" Sam nodded. The boy had been mentioned a few times in conversations she'd had with the Vikings, but they never went into a lot of detail about him.

"Most of his things are hand-me-downs anyway," the man continued, "and they might be a bit big for you, but they ought to work."

Sam nodded again, feeling a little numb. She had fully expected that he would add insult to injury, but he hadn't. She had poured out her fury at him, and he'd shrugged it off. Had he replied with anger, or sarcasm, or, well, _anything_ less than friendly, she would have known exactly how to handle it. As they drew closer to the hut that was clearly Hiccup's target, she began to mentally brace herself. It was, after all, for Danny's sake.

* * *

It was nearly dark by the time Sam headed back to the stables, and Hiccup had a lot to think about. Once she had started picking through the clothes, he'd scurried off to deliver the whetstone. He was glad the girl hadn't needed much convincing to wash the borrowed gear and even less to take a bath before going back to her reptilian friend. She hadn't asked for reasons, which meant less for him to have to explain. He would, however, need to talk to the rest of his troupe. The man heaved a heavy sigh and ran his fingers through his mop of auburn hair. He slumped backward to lean against the wall of the community hut and look up at the stars that had just begun to make their presence known.

"What a day," murmured a rough, feminine voice from somewhere to his left. Hiccup laughed drily as he turned to look at Astrid.

"You can say _that_ again," he said with a half-hearted smile, "people-dragons…ghosts…time travelers… And let's not forget that thing that's not a thing going on between our visitors."

"Okay, I missed something in there. A thing that's not a thing?" The woman frowned in confusion as she leaned against the wall beside him. Hiccup chuckled. Of course, Astrid wouldn't have noticed. She would never have even thought to look for it.

"They like each other," he said, giving her a smirk, "and I don't think either one of them completely realize it." Astrid narrowed her eyes as she looked back at the man, not quite comprehending. Hiccup's smirk broadened at her expression.

"As in, _like_ like," he continued. He tried not to laugh as he watched Astrid's eyes slowly widen with understanding and her eyebrows crawl up forehead. She pushed away from the wall to look at him straight on, her jaw slack with shock. When she started pointing toward the stable in wordless questioning, he couldn't hold it back. The man guffawed heartily and nodded. Astrid limply fell against the wall once more and stared forward blankly.

"I know. Makes things kind of complicated, doesn't it?" he said cheerfully.

"No kidding," the woman murmured numbly.

With another chuckle, Hiccup leaned over until his shoulder bumped into hers.

"Hey…We're only going flying with a jealous dragon who doesn't realize he's seeing human guys as competition. What's the worst that could happen?" he asked with a wide grin. As he expected, Astrid glared at him.

"Don't even say that!" she hissed as she shoved him away. When Hiccup responded by laughing again, she swiftly punched his arm. Hard. His laughter quickly silenced and he winced as he rubbed what was sure to be a new bruise. After a few seconds, the woman took a deep breath.

"So…What do we do now?" she asked with a concerned frown.

"Well… We tell the guys to try to keep their distance," he said as a sly grin crept across his face, "and hope the kids back home think she's as scary as you are."

* * *

Another day passed, filled with activity and preparations. Then, after a good night's rest, the crew began to stir. Danny had only been half aware when Astrid entered the stable with a large pack slung over her shoulder. He could hear Sam grumble sourly when the Viking woman woke her up, but he fell back asleep soon after. He woke more fully later on, when a metallic jingle rang in his ears. He could hear Sam next to him asking questions and was surprised to hear Astrid answering back. In confusion, he opened his eyes to look at the two.

"…Then this goes through here, and you tighten it up like this," said the blond woman with an explanatory tone. Sam was nodding very seriously and watching as the woman demonstrated something on the saddle in her arms. It took a moment to realize that his friend was not wearing her usual clothes. She was decked out, head to toe, in Viking attire, _including_ bits of leather armor and fur.

A sound of disbelief escaped his throat as his jaw dropped in shock, and the girl quickly turned her head to glare at him, daring him to make another noise. Danny quickly snapped his mouth shut and turned his head away. He could feel her narrowed eyes watch him a moment longer, nearly electric in their intensity. The dragon didn't even dare look out the corner of his eye until he heard Astrid continue in her demonstration.

The whole situation was perplexing. For one, Sam was wearing animal products. She would _never_ do such a thing, not even to save her life! Second, it was _Astrid_ explaining his saddle. He would have expected Hiccup to help him with that. But no. He wasn't even anywhere to be seen. Sam hadn't even wanted to touch the thing, so why was she learning how it worked? Lastly, he suddenly realized it was early morning. _Early._ Sam had allowed herself to be woken up _early_.

It was so upside-down that he had to put his head back down on the floor to process it. His eyes stared blankly in confusion. Had he woken up in yet another parallel dimension? Maybe he was still dreaming. He blinked his eyes hard to attempt to banish the vision, but no. He was wide awake. Perhaps he had slept through an entire day and not realized it. He _had_ been pretty exhausted when he went to sleep.

Another metallic jingle pulled him out of his thoughts. Very slowly, he lifted his head once more to see if he had been imagining things. No. He had not. The leather saddle had been passed over to Sam and she faced him with a look of determination. Danny's eyebrows shot up in surprise and confusion.

"If you _ever_ tell Tucker," she growled warningly, "you _will_ regret it."

Danny gulped nervously and nodded. He didn't even _want_ to know what she would do. Taking the girl's threat lightly was not a mistake he wanted to make.

With a deep breath, the girl strode forward. Danny held as still as he could, his chest raised ever so slightly off the floor. He struggled to keep a straight face as the girl wrestled the contraption into place. Her tiny hands bumped into him many times as Astrid talked her through the straps and the buckles that would keep it secured. He was sure his heart had skipped several beats in nervousness, and his limbs ached to fidget. Oddly enough, he found himself rather glad that reptiles couldn't sweat, otherwise he was sure he would be soaked.

When the girl finally completed the task and stepped back, Danny released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Astrid soon took her place to check her work and correct minor mistakes, but the dragon didn't feel nearly as nervous over that. He blinked and frowned at the thought, not quite understanding why that was.

When he looked at the woman, she smirked back and patted him firmly on the neck, looking for all the world as if she knew something he didn't. Danny harrumphed in dismay. Once again, he was being left in the dark.

"We'll be taking off as soon as Da—er… as soon as _you_ have breakfast," said Astrid, remembering half way through to talk to him directly, "as soon as you're both ready, come out to the landing platform."

"I'll be right out!" Sam said. The girl frantically scurried to gather up a cloth satchel and bolted out the open door after the Viking woman.

Danny sighed. He'd been hoping she would take a moment to explain what was going on, but apparently just the mention of his meal was enough to frighten her away. Disappointed, he laid himself back down on the floor, left to his confused thoughts as he waited for the other dragons to return.

* * *

After a heaping pile of fish and being scolded into cleaning himself _properly_ , Danny walked out of the stable, followed closely by Toothless. The rest of the dragons were already saddled, and bundles of supplies were being divvied out for loading. When the Vikings noticed his arrival, he saw a quick, silent conversation fly between them, one that he couldn't comprehend.

Sam was about to jog over to him, but Astrid hurriedly called for her. With an apologetic half grin, the girl changed courses to see what was needed. The larger black dragon frowned. Toothless however, hummed happily as Hiccup made his way across the platform to join them.

"Hey bud!" the man greeted the smaller creature, giving him a scratch behind the ears. His attention quickly turned to the larger dragon.

"How are you feeling about flying?" asked the lanky Viking with a smile.

Danny forced a smile and tilted his head back and forth. Yes, he'd figured it out, but he was nervous.

"You _did_ get the hang of it, right?" Hiccup's smile faded slightly and his fingers stilled. Toothless was quick to nudge the man and remind him that he was supposed to be scratching those hard-to-reach scales.

Danny frowned with a huff and nodded firmly.

"Ohhhh…" Hiccup breathed, his expression showing his understanding, "you're nervous…"

The large dragon nodded again, though with far less conviction than before.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," continued the Viking, "we've got a light pack for you, and Sam's going to ride with Astrid—" He was cut off by Danny's offended protest. The creature stomped his feet grumpily, which got him scolded by the smaller dragon next to him. Hiccup raised his eyebrows in surprise, and several glances shot in their direction.

"Danny?" called Sam's voice, "is everything okay?" The girl was jogging over, leaving Astrid to shrug in defeat for some reason. Hiccup pinched the bridge of his nose.

"What's going on?" the girl demanded with concern, her violet eyes darting between the Viking man and the dragon. Danny noticed that Hiccup had taken a step back from her as she drew closer. He couldn't understand why, but he did know he got some strange satisfaction out of it.

"I was just telling Danny the plan for the flight," Hiccup breathed, his tone full of frustration. Danny could practically smell the argument that was about to happen as he saw the frown cross Sam's face.

"And that plan is…?"

"We're giving Danny a light pack to carry," the man explained with exasperation, "and we're going to have you fly with Ast—" His shoulders slumped as he was interrupted again and his palm flew to his face.

"No," Sam growled venomously, "I'm not flying with anyone but Danny." The dragon couldn't help puffing up his chest.

"He's only been flying for—"

"Almost a year! _And_ he's good at it!"

"Not with wings!" Hiccup replied hotly.

"Wings or not, he's a natural in the air! I didn't put on the skins of innocent animals just so you could tell me I can't fly with my best friend!" Sam's arm swung wide to gesture toward Danny as she stared fiercely at the man. Her praise and insistence had him feeling as though something inside his chest was bubbling up. He was just barely holding back the satisfied purr that threatened to rumble through him.

Hiccup, on the other hand, was blank-faced. He looked as though something in his brain had snapped and he was busy putting it back together. After a drawn out second, he frowned and looked down at a worried-looking Toothless. The man's shoulders slumped again.

"You're right," he mumbled with a sigh, "of all people, I should understand that better than anyone…Right, bud?" The man patted the smaller dragon's head and received an affectionate hum.

Sam and Danny beamed at each other. They had won out. They would be flying together.

"You're still getting the lightest pack, though," Hiccup insisted, a defeated smile working its way back onto his face as he led the smaller dragon to get loaded up with his own gear.

Not long after, emotions running high, the dragons and their riders leapt into the air, several pairs of leathery wings beating at the wind as they climbed ever higher into the jewel bright sky.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay, Holidays are over. Holiday projects are...sort of done? Which means I'm back. Huzzah! Though, I don't have a lot to say this time.

To all of you who added this story to your follow and favorites list or left one of those lovely reviews, Thank you so much! Seeing those pop up is always encouraging and makes me very happy. :D

And to each and every one of you lovely readers, as always, thank you for reading! Knowing you're out there and eager to see my next chapter helps me want to keep going. Together, we're going to see this story through!


	30. Chapter 30

"I spy something starting with a 'W.'"

Sam's tone was filled with boredom. The flight had quickly gotten dull, and they were only a couple of hours in. Yes, it had been exciting to see Hiccup and Toothless pull off some of their aerial maneuvers when they first started out, but it had been brief to save the smaller dragon's energy.

"Wwwaaahh...ttehrrrr," rumbled Danny, somehow sounding nearly as bored. After the dragon had found a solid rhythm for his wings, the two had taken up playing "I spy" to try to pass the time. It had one major flaw, though: there wasn't much to see beyond the endless expanse of ocean and the vast, cloudless sky. Sam forced herself to look on the bright side, as much as it pained her. At least the stupid game was giving Danny practice with forming words. The Vikings had given them funny looks when they began, but the dragons didn't seem to care much, as though they had accepted that their extra pack member was prone to bizarreness.

"Okay…I spy something starting with an 'S.'"

"Chhhss…ssskkhhaaaahhhyyyy."

"I spy—"

"Seriously! If you spy one more thing that's either ocean or water or sky, I'm going to go crazy!" Snotlout burst out, interrupting their game. Danny's ears flattened angrily as Sam crossed her arms and gave the man her most deadly glare. She got a small measure of satisfaction when she saw the irritated Viking look back at them, only for a flash of fear to cross his features before he quickly faced forward.

"Relax," Hiccup soothed from the front of the pack, "at least they're not like Trader Johann." When the other Vikings grumbled a begrudging agreement, Sam decided she was probably better off never meeting the man.

"You know he's probably going to be back at Berk now that you've said that, right?" pointed out Ruffnut.

"He's not going to be there," Hiccup drawled with an exasperated roll of his eyes.

"No, no. She's right," Tuffnut chimed in solemnly, "Now that you said he's not going to be there, he will. It's, like, a thing. You say it's not going to happen, and then it happens."

Sam couldn't help snickering. Apparently, neither could Danny. The dragon lost his rhythm briefly and their panic chased away any further laughing while he fought to regain the air he had lost.

"Are you alright?" Astrid called urgently as she directed Stormfly a little closer to the pair.

"Yeah," Sam called back with a shaky nod, "we're okay." Mostly. Her heart was racing, and she was gripping the handhold on Danny's saddle so tightly her knuckles had turned white. The girl forced herself to take deep breaths, and, from the shifting of the reptilian shoulders, she guessed Danny was doing the same.

"What happened?" the woman asked. By now, they had gotten the attention of the entire group. The dragons had slowed so they could try to see the younger member of their pack and the Vikings had all turned as far as they could in their saddles.

"Um…Danny, uh…laughed…" the girl explained tentatively, and added in a quickly mumbled, "sorry, Danny." The dragon whined plaintively.

"It's my fault, really," Sam went on, "I kind of laughed and I guess it just…" she trailed off, hoping they would draw their own conclusions.

"But you're both okay now, right?" Hiccup asked. The girl quickly nodded her assurance. Danny did likewise, though much more slowly.

"Okay, good," he breathed, "let's keep going. We've still got a long way to go."

Danny had been thrilled when he saw the first island in the distance. They flew nearer and nearer…and then kept going, following the island's shore, but never getting very close. If dragons had tear ducts, he was sure he would have cried. His wings were _tired_. Sam had made a concerted effort to cheer him up and encourage him. It helped, but not much. He was aching in ways he didn't know it was possible to ache, and he had a sneaking suspicion that none of the other dragons were feeling it.

He was inwardly wishing very much that he had given himself more time to re-build the strength of his wings. He had tried early on to use ghostly flight to make up for what he lacked, but the other dragons had quickly taken notice that his flight was…off. It seemed their internal sense of aerophysics was far more advanced than he had expected, and seeing him defy their understanding had nearly caused a panic. So, he was stuck with obeying the laws of physics and using his natural abilities.

As he watched the other dragons snap their wings open to glide for what seemed like the thousandth time, he envied their confidence in their flight. He was barely able to keep his rhythm while his mind wandered. Here they were, carelessly deciding when they needed to put effort into it. More wishes started forming in his head and he forced his thoughts away from that track. After all, it wouldn't take him anywhere but to Angst-ville. More importantly, he'd learned long ago that, with his luck, actually _making_ wishes tended to be dangerous.

When Hiccup pointed out a tiny island, barely more than a rock just off the one they'd been dodging, Danny couldn't help eagerly flapping just a little faster. Toothless had gotten after him for that, wordlessly insisting that he pace himself just a little longer. And then, finally, he was allowed to land. It wasn't the most graceful maneuver, but he hadn't unseated his precious passenger. They were both safe and whole. Relieved, he allowed his wings to simply fall limp while Sam slid off his saddle.

Apparently, that was wrong. As soon as all the Vikings were off their dragons, the creatures all stampeded toward him and "taught" him how to stretch. There was a lot of confusing chatter, exaggerated demonstrating, a few scoldings from Toothless, and an attempt to tug at his wings, but eventually he figured out what they wanted from him. Once they were satisfied he had stretched enough, they split off to exercise their legs and do their own stretches. Apparently, they _were_ familiar with the ache.

All too soon, the group was back in the air. The few outlying rocks soon gave way to vast stretches of water and they were back to skirting the surprisingly large island. In Danny's mind, the rest hadn't been nearly long enough. His wings were already beginning to tire again, and the wind had picked up.

That was when he realized the other dragons were spreading their wings to glide once again. He hummed to himself and studied the way they held their appendages out. Hesitantly, he followed their example. For a brief moment, he held his breath, tensely waiting for the feeling of falling. It never came. In fact, moments later, an updraft blew up underneath his wings, suddenly pushing him upward with the rest of the airborne creatures. He swallowed his yelp of surprise, but only barely. Several sounds of amusement drifted into his ears from the pack of dragons. Even Toothless was laughing, having chanced a glance back at him. Apparently, he hadn't held back the sound completely.

It was a little embarrassing.

After that, he watched a little more carefully, following the lead of his fellow fliers, flapping when they did, switching to gliding when they spread their wings. It helped ease the strain of his muscles quite a bit, though his poor understanding of their timing led to a few sudden drops that had Sam crying out in alarm.

By the time they reached their next rest stop, he had finally figured out that the dragons were feeling the changes in the air currents. He'd just begun paying closer attention and sensing the differences himself when Hiccup called for them to angle toward an island, once again just off the larger land mass they had been avoiding. It was then that he realized Sam had given in to her boredom. At some point she had leaned back into the space between his wings and fallen asleep in the saddle. Somehow, Danny had been so focused on figuring out how the dragons timed their gliding he managed to completely miss that happening. He hummed worriedly, but she slept on.

"Everything okay back there?" Hiccup half shouted over the wind.

"Ssss-sssaaaaaammmm… Sssssllllhhh-eeeeeeeepphhhh…" rumbled Danny. He furrowed his brows, unsure if the Viking could understand him. A dragon mouth was difficult to form letter sounds around, what with all the teeth, the tongue shaped all wrong, and the scaly lips. Sure, he was used to having them by that point, but it didn't make speech any easier. However, more quickly than the creature had expected, Hiccup's eyebrows raised with understanding.

"That could be a problem," the slender Viking commented. Danny watched his face turn to a thoughtful frown, the man's calculations almost visible on his face.

"Do you think you could hold out for two more hours?" Hiccup finally asked.

Danny grimaced. He very much needed a break. He was tired and achy. But for his best friend… Slowly he nodded. He would keep going, if he needed to. The man returned the nod and angled Toothless away from the small island. There was quite a lot of protest from the dragons at that, but after Hiccup leaned forward to murmur something to the creature he rode, a reptilian noise of reluctant compliance compelled them to follow.

Danny knew they could tell he was tired. The other creatures looked like they could go on much longer, but there had been glances sent his way once they had been directed away from what was clearly a place to rest. With a huff, he clenched his jaw in determination. As the large island slowly fell away behind the pack of dragons, he forced his thoughts away from his burning muscles, away from his weariness, and focused on the rushing wind beneath him. His eyes stayed glued to the dragons, studying their movements closely, straining to understand the air currents and how to read them.

Sam did eventually wake up, groggy and confused. At least, she was until Snotlout let it slip that they'd had to pass up their last rest stop. Then she was groggy and apologetic. Danny hummed indifferently, his attention struggling to remain on his flight and not the knots he was sure were forming in his shoulders or the way his wings were threatening to cramp.

Hiccup was shouting reassurances that they were nearly there, but Danny ignored that, too. He wouldn't let himself get caught up in how close they were. He couldn't allow himself to start rushing. The creature was already far too tempted to just divebomb into the ocean and swim the rest of the way. He wasn't even sure if he _could_ swim as a dragon, and having a passenger kept him from giving in and finding out.

Then, at long last, a cluster of islands appeared on the horizon, just as the sun began its lazy descent. As the sky slowly painted itself with gold and red, they grew ever nearer before finally landing on one of the smaller land masses.

Danny's landing was far less graceful than the previous one, and Sam was nearly thrown from the saddle. Before her feet even touched the ground, the dragon began to stretch his limbs. He couldn't help but whine as his wings all but screamed vengeance upon him for their abuses. He would definitely be feeling it later.

The next day dawned just as bright and just as early as ever. Danny had complained heartily about his aches and pains in his own way, but the group was soon in the air. The flight was, thankfully, uneventful. There were fewer places to land, so when Hiccup looked back to check on their inexperienced companions, he was glad to see that Danny had gotten a handle on gliding. He was even back to playing his word games with Sam, though they clearly became bored again very quickly.

When they reached the Sea Stacks, Hiccup allowed them a longer break than previously, which the dragons used as "take a nap on Danny" time. They were familiar with the route. They knew this particular stretch would be much longer than their youngster was used to. Surprisingly, Danny didn't object much and quickly joined in on the reptilian snoring.

The moment the dragons were asleep, the Vikings, plus Sam, gathered together to have a meal of travel rations.

"I'm surprised the dragons didn't go out to catch fish this morning," the girl commented as she munched some of the vegetation she had packed.

"Yeah," Hiccup acknowledged with a shrug, "they don't usually eat much during their mini-migrations. We haven't really figured out why."

"Theoretically," chimed Fishlegs happily, "they could be capable of fasting for several days in a row when the availability of prey is questionable." The large man punctuated his point by taking a large bite of his dried meat. Hiccup rolled shook his head with lighthearted exasperation.

"We haven't proven anything, though," the lankier Viking pointed out with an eyebrow raised at the blond fellow. Before Fishlegs could respond, he quickly turned his attention back to Sam.

"So, here's what's happening," began Hiccup, his brows lowered heavily with the weight of his concern, "this last stretch is going to be a long one. There aren't any more stops between here and Berk." He watched the girl nod, a frown creeping across her features.

"Unless we get a good tailwind, it's another twelve hours from—"

"Twelve _hours_?!" Sam spat, quickly covering her mouth.

"Gross!" Tuffnut groused. Hiccup looked over to see him with new flecks of green in his dreadlocks that had definitely not been there before. Ruffnut glanced over and burst out laughing at her twin.

"Eugh," muttered Snotlout, "I am _so_ glad that wasn't me…"

" _Anyway_ ," Hiccup broke in once more, pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation as Tuffnut decided it was a good time for full contact wrestling, "chances are it will be dark long before we land." He tried to ignore the other Vikings as Snotlout demanded his opponent get off him and Fishlegs somehow got sucked into the tussle.

"But, twelve _hours_?" Sam asked, "as in, twelve hours, _straight_?" The girl didn't even flinch as Ruffnut gleefully dove into the fray. Hiccup had to force himself not to look impressed at her non-reaction to the brawl taking place only a few feet away from them.

"There's nothing but open ocean between here and there," the man replied with a shrug, "so, it's all in one go. There's no other choice. Danny's going to need to do a lot of gliding to save his strength. Think he can handle it? I'd ask him myself, but…" He trailed off and pointed his thumb at the pile of sleeping dragons behind him. The girl frowned in thought, even as Astrid started throwing punches at the tangle of flailing limbs.

"I think so," Sam answered slowly as the other Vikings cried out in pain and scrambled to escape the blonde woman's wrath, "he's been doing pretty good with it. I think."

Hiccup nodded and spared a glance at his supposedly more mature companions as they chased each other around, spewing threats and defenses in almost equal portions. A mistake if ever there was one. He rolled his eyes and looked back at the girl.

"Okay, then. As soon as Astrid is done trying to murder everyone, we'll get back to the plans," the man said with a slight smirk as he returned to his nearly forgotten lunch, "it…might take a while."

For once, they were in luck. The dragons had a strong tailwind to push them along, and Danny was doing a lot of gliding without much trouble. Sam, however, was bored out of her mind. They had played their word games again, much to the Vikings' annoyance, but that had gotten old pretty quickly. The pair tried to converse, but it was stilted and shallow due to how difficult it was for Danny to form certain sounds. That annoyed the both of them.

The sheer boredom wouldn't have been so bad if the girl weren't also fighting to stay awake. She had no idea how the Vikings managed these trips on a regular basis. For that matter, she had no idea how Danny wasn't dozing off. There was nothing to occupy her hands or her mind, and nothing to see but the vast expanse of ocean sprawled out in every direction. The Vikings hadn't even bickered in a while, so she didn't have that entertainment, either.

Hiccup had warned her not to fall asleep in the saddle again. It wouldn't be safe if they came across trouble, and if they arrived while she was sleeping, Danny would be stuck in the air again. His landings were still rocky, at best, and he would not risk accidentally dropping her. She still felt rather guilty about that.

So, the girl struggled to stay awake, in spite of her boredom. She nibbled at the bits of vegetation on her bag, looked for patterns and images in the white speckles on the back of Danny's neck, and fussed with her sandals. She'd nearly dropped her handcrafted footwear twice before deciding it might not be a good idea. Her head bopped dangerously several times, but she shook her head and pat her cheeks briskly.

There were a few times where a distant speck had Hiccup adjusting their course. Fishlegs, of course, began rambling about the possibility of a Scauldron or some other dragon. The leader of the troupe only ever replied with a non-committal hum, but they all felt better whenever the different specks disappeared in the distance.

After what seemed like ages, the sun crept its way down the sky and slowly dipped below the distant horizon. Darkness set in ever so slowly as stars began to dot the heavens. Sam couldn't fight the yawns that tugged at her lungs, and Danny was helpless to resist their contagious nature. Soon, the girl started chattering to him, whether to keep herself awake or the dragon on which she was perched, she would never say. The creature would occasionally hum back at her wearily to let her know he was at least somewhat listening. If it helped her open her eyes after a blink lasted a little too long, all the better for her.

Then, after one particularly long blink, she opened her eyes, and rubbed them vigorously with the back of her hand.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing at a pinprick of light far too low to be a star.

"That," answered Hiccup cheerfully, "would be Berk."

Sam slumped back in the saddle with relief. It had been a long two days, and she was ready for some semblance of a bed. She was definitely in need of a bath, whether her companions thought so or not.

"We should be arriving in the next couple of hours," the lanky man informed her. "Astrid will lead you and Danny to the grotto. You'll probably want to stay there tonight and we'll worry about introductions in the morning. I don't think either of you wants to start an accidental fight." His tone was light and teasing and the girl couldn't stop the snort of amusement that burst from her nose at Danny's plaintive hum.

"It's okay, Danny," she said with a smirk, "I'm sure these guys will be more than happy to look after their _baby_." Sam gave his neck a firm pat of false comfort and snickered at his grumbling. Until he suddenly dropped a foot or two and she yelped in fright. Then it was his turn to snicker. She slapped his neck in retaliation, and he just burst out laughing, much to her chagrin. She had to admit that the little stunt had definitely woken her up. Her heart was racing and her eyes were wide open.

"Anyway," Hiccup broke in as the reptilian laughter died down, "I'm going to have to check in and let my Dad know what's going on as soon as we get there, otherwise I'd join you. And I'm sure the dragons are going to be pretty antsy to get you some food, Danny." The reply was the most sarcastic sounding rumble Sam had ever heard him make since he'd ended up as a dragon, and she almost laughed again at it, until she realized something the Viking had said.

"Your _Dad_?" she asked, a little incredulous, "why would your _Dad_ need to know?"

Six pairs of stunned eyes turned to peer at her through the faint starlight.

"Didn't we tell you?" asked Astrid, "his father is the Chief."

"His fa—" Sam sputtered, then turned back to Hiccup, " _your_ Dad is the _Chief_?!" She couldn't have felt more disbelief if she had been told that he was actually a space alien. Viking chieftains were supposed to be big, burly warriors. Hiccup was anything _but_.

A heavy, longsuffering sigh answered her skepticism.

"Yeah. My Dad. There's a reason he's called Stoick the _Vast_."

Sam shut her gaping mouth. The sounds of Snotlout and the twins rang out behind her, making her very much wish she could disappear at will like Danny. Thankfully, the creature beneath her remained silent.

At long last the journey was over, without too much incident. Astrid was able to lead the odd pair to the grotto, just as Hiccup had asked. The moment the two were on the ground, Danny began his awkward stretching, and Sam crumpled in a vengeful heap of saddle-sores and dark mutterings. The woman winced in sympathy as she remembered her first long-distance flight…or rather, the first that _wasn't_ a race toward battle. She gave Stormfly a fond pat on the nose and strolled over to the girl to offer a helping hand.

"Thanks," Sam murmured grudgingly as the Viking woman pulled her to her feet.

"Don't mention it," Astrid replied off-handedly, "but you're going to want to walk around, or you'll be feeling that trip for a week." The girl cringed at the thought and nodded.

"Yeah. That sounds like a boat-load of fun." Sam's tone was dry and humorless, but she began to pace slowly, occasionally shaking out her legs.

Astrid was planning to give recommendations she and the other riders had figured out to remedy the ache, but a movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"No, Stormfly," she scolded her dragon, "leave him alone." The bird-like reptile cocked her head at the woman in confusion and squawked softly. Astrid narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out what the creature was planning when she started creeping toward Danny. She suspected the female dragon was about to turn mother hen on him once again. Judging by the way the black creature was eyeing the other, Astrid was fairly certain he was thinking the same thing.

"He's fine. Go eat." The woman waved her arm toward the village. Much more quickly than Astrid had expected, Stormfly's head perked up and she quickly flew off.

"…Oh…Great…"

"What?" asked Sam, half marching in place.

"I think Stormfly is getting Danny some dinner. Just like all the others."

Danny groaned and slumped to the ground defeatedly. Astrid frowned. She knew he didn't enjoy the way dragons ate. If she were stuck in his position, she was sure she would feel the same. The only one who fully comprehended it, though, was Hiccup. Before she could offer any condolences, though, the dark creature suddenly picked up his head, looking around frantically.

"Danny?" asked Sam, rushing to his side to help look for the unknown threat. When his head snapped to one direction, she did likewise, though she clearly didn't know what she was looking for just yet. As Astrid looked skyward to join their search, a soft noise drifted to her ears. It was like a rhythmic whistling of wind.

"What's that sound?" Astrid asked softly, a scowl of confusion etched onto her face. It definitely wasn't a dragon. At least, not one that she had ever encountered. Suddenly, Sam yelped in protest as Danny shoved her under the shelter of his wing, his eyes growing wide in what the Viking woman could only interpret as disbelief.

In a matter of seconds, the sound grew louder. A small flash of silver, a metallic clang, and suddenly, Danny had his claws against his snout as he writhed in pain. Sam quickly scurried out from under his wing to grab at the thing that had so unexpectedly attacked the dragon. Astrid dashed to her side to see it.

Whatever it was, it was a bright, polished metal, and was somehow blinking a brilliant green from beneath a small dome of some clear, glassy material. Astrid had never seen such a thing before, but clearly, Sam had. The girl started breathing rapidly and practically vibrated with the way she was bouncing on her feet.

"DANNY!" she shouted, scrambling to the dragon's face, "Danny, he's found us! He's _found_ us!" The girl excitedly dove to hug the dragon's neck briefly before leaping to her feet, once again, staring at the sky.

"Wait," started Astrid, "what do you mean? _Who's_ found you?

"Tucker!" the girl said, almost breathless, her eyes not leaving the dark expanse overhead, "our friend. He must have come looking for us!"

Astrid blinked, scowling in confusion, her mind slowly processing what she had been told. The two mentioned they were from the future, she remembered that. Their friend had been left behind in the future. Did that mean their friend had time travelled, too? Perhaps where they came from, it was that simple. So, that must have meant their friend had some way to take them back to the future, where they belonged. But…If that device was how they knew they had been found…

The woman narrowed her eyes at Sam and could vaguely make out the worried expression that had begun to cross her features.

"Wouldn't your friend be right behind that…thing?" asked Astrid. Sam nodded slowly. A low, reptilian hum echoed her concern.

"Houston," the girl muttered, "we have a problem."

 **A/N:** Guys. I am _so_ sorry. Real world problems were popping up left and right after the last chapter. First…I pretty much had to start this chapter over after a scene took most of it up and I suddenly realized the timing for the scene was all wrong. I'm going to use it later, buuuut… It was a bit discouraging. I had to fix a few accidental incongruent bits in the chapter after that. Also, I got sick. Twice. From two different bugs that were making their rounds through my work place. Then I got stuck.

BUT! I'm better now. Huzzah!

Also, I've been stressing out about a group cosplay I'm in charge of for the summer, so my Saturdays kind of got claimed for a while.

Also…for those of you who caught the subtle reference to the time travel movie… I couldn't help myself. I really couldn't. And I'm sorry about the cliffhanger going on at the end here… I'll do my best to update as soon as possible. But, in the meantime…If I missed any mistakes, I hope you'll take the time to send me a PM to let me know so I can fix it.

Anyway, there were many reviews and new followers/favoriters, and to you, thank you for all the encouragement! It was very much needed!

As always, thanks for reading! You guys are awesome! Like, for reals. You have no idea how much I appreciate you out there. Knowing you've stuck with my story makes me incredibly happy. I love you, my lovely readers!


	31. Chapter 31

Hiccup knew his task would not be an easy one long before his troop had even taken to the air. The moment he entered the gathering hall in search of his father, he knew it had become far more difficult than he had anticipated. It felt like his entire body slumped forward in exasperation when he saw who was present. Why did his companions have to be right this time?

There, despite the late hour, was skinny Trader Johann, talking off his father's ear. The visitor looked as eccentric as ever, with his oddly puffed out sleeves and puffy-looking trousers. Judging by the way his floppy hat had been skewed, it seemed that he'd already been talking for quite a while, his arms likely gesturing grandly as he spun his tales. His dark beard, peppered with signs of his age, practically bounced as he spoke, making his odd moustache seem even more gravity defiant than usual.

Hiccup's father, Stoick, on the other hand, could not look more different from the village's guest if he tried. He was, as his title described him, _Vast_. The giant of a man was leaned forward on his stool, listening with rapt attention and taking in whatever details spilled out of the mouth of the merchant who stood before him. Even seated, he seemed to dwarf the visitor. His massive, fiery beard completely covered his barrel-like chest, and the braids woven through it were worn like tokens of honor. That man was the very epitome of what every Viking strived to be, from his gigantic frame and fierce visage to his widely-horned helmet.

Really, looking at the pair was a study of contrasts.

Aside from the talkative merchant and his hulking audience of one, the hall was empty. It _was_ rather late, so Hiccup could only assume the rest of the villagers decided they could wait until the next day to hear more about Johann's recent travels…if that was what he actually had been talking about. Sometimes it was hard to tell which stories were new and which were just being retold with a little extra flavor.

With a heavy sigh, Hiccup strode forward. Delivering news tended to be a challenge when the merchant was around.

"Dad," Hiccup called, interrupting what was probably a _fascinating_ tale. Stoick blinked for a moment and looked around before his eyes landed on his son. A wide smile crossed his ruddy features as he stood and quickly crossed the open space to clap his massive hands on the young man's shoulders.

"Hiccup! Glad to see you back early, son!"

Hiccup allowed himself a smile before Johann chimed in.

"Ah! Master Hiccup!" the traveler said jovially as he approached, "I was wondering if I would be seeing you this time around! In fact, I was just telling your father that I—"

"It's nice to see you, too," the younger man replied, his grin twisting ever so slightly with a mix of fondness and exasperation, "but I actually have some _kind of_ urgent business… So…" He let his words drift off, hoping one of the men would catch his hint. The men stared at him blankly for a moment. Hiccup fought the urge to groan in frustration at himself. Subtlety… Not the men's strong point…

"Dad, I really need to talk to you. It's, well…" he glanced quickly at the merchant and back to his father, "it's really important…"

"Ahhhh… Father and Son bonding!" Johann practically cooed, "such a precious thing! Why, I remember back in my youth—I must have been a little younger than you are now when I—"

"I'm sure it's a _very_ heartwarming story," Hiccup bluntly interrupted and began to escort the man toward the door, "but this _really_ can't wait. Besides, it's _very_ late, and you're probably exhausted, so goodnight Johann!" With a few sputters of objection, the merchant was roughly ushered out the door and Hiccup quickly shut the door and turned to look at his father.

The man did not look pleased. More accurately, Stoick looked irritated and suspicious. Hiccup supposed there was probably concern somewhere on his face, probably hidden somewhere behind his beard. The young man sighed heavily.

"And what was that, Hiccup?" the massive Viking demanded slowly. His arms crossed expectantly as his beady, green eyes stared down his son.

"Dad, I have to tell you something, and it's really important that it doesn't go very far," he started. He didn't even get a chance to begin explaining before the doors suddenly burst open again. In rushed the large black dragon in an absolute tizzy with Astrid perched behind Sam on his shoulders, both clinging to the saddle as though for dear life. Naturally, Johann hadn't gotten very far and was now peeking through the open entrance in unrestrained curiosity. Hiccup's shoulders slumped and he let his head drop forward in exasperation.

"Hiccup!" Astrid scrambled off the saddle and only spared a brief, terrified glance at the creature before turning her attention to the man she sought. "Hiccup, we have a situation!"

"Dad, meet Sam and Danny," Hiccup said resignedly, gesturing to the pair with a defeated wave.

" _Hiccup_!" Astrid chided.

"Son, what is going on?" asked Stoick, his expression darkening. It was a dangerous look that could, and often did, cause braver warriors to cower. Hiccup had been on the receiving end of that look far too often to be moved by it any more.

"There's no time!" Sam chimed in hurriedly as she practically jumped from Danny's back.

"What the—"

"Come on!"

"Hiccup, you had better tell me—"

"Hold on—I can—Wait—Just—" The demands for Hiccup's attention was becoming overwhelming. Everyone was demanding answers and actions, and even Johann had joined in, cautiously giving the new dragon a wide berth as he crept his way back into the hall. Their voices kept raising, and try as he might, he couldn't get himself heard above them. It was dizzying. But, before he could shout his frustration, a vicious roar ripped through the air, and the room was suddenly and deafeningly silent.

"Thanks, Danny," Hiccup said with a wince. The creature grinned sheepishly in return, then started shifting away from the girl who was now glaring daggers at him.

"Okay. First, Dad, Sam and Danny are… _nomads_ … and they need our help getting back to their, uh, _tribe_ …"

Stoick was clearly not convinced, and opened his mouth to likely insist that was impossible.

"I can't give you more than that right now," the young man continued, his eyes darting to Johann, who looked just as incredulous, "apparently, we have more important things going on."

"More important than a strange girl and a strange dragon that _you_ brought to _my_ village?" the fiery man glowered dangerously.

"Actually, yeah," Astrid intervened, "they're…harmless…But their friend is in trouble."

"Wait, their _friend_?" asked Hiccup, his eyes going wide, "but I thought—"

"We thought, too," Sam chimed in seriously. Danny seemed to breathe a sigh of relief with her attention diverted away from him.

"It looks like he tried to follow us," she continued. Suddenly, the girl was holding a silver-colored…something. A tiny, incomprehensible light perched in the center of it, red and blinking at an oddly even rhythm.

"By Odin," breathed Stoick, his tone stuck somewhere between amazement and shock, and far closer than Hiccup had remembered his father standing. The young man shook his head to bring his attention back to the present. He looked at the girl, fearlessly holding out the device, concern and determination written all over her face. She showed no signs of intimidation from the huge man that was suddenly so near. Hiccup raised an eyebrow, but didn't ask. Answers about that would have to wait.

* * *

Tucker was, for lack of words, stranded. He had gone to the Far-Frozen to ask the beastly residents there for help, but without "the Great One" present, their ruler could not justify loaning him the map that would take him right to wherever his friends had landed. He'd tried to ask Clockwork for assistance, but all that got him was a headache. The rest of the incredibly short list of allies in the ghost zone was quickly ruled out entirely; Wulf was impossible to find, Dora was insanely busy, and the others simply had no means of tracking Danny or Sam.

So, it was up to him. Again. Alone. He had sighed heavily at that realization and, with a little trepidation, released the Boo-merang. It had hovered motionless for several moments during which the teenaged boy stared from behind the controls of the Specter Speeder and fought back his growing panic.

The instant the tracking device came to life, Tucker allowed himself a whoop of celebration and pushed the vehicle into high gear to trail it as closely as possible. It had gone well, until he followed it through a natural portal. He spared a glance behind after finding himself back in the real world, somewhere over the ocean, at night. He felt a twinge of unease as he saw the opening in space close behind him. After all, there was no telling where he had ended up. With a shake of his head, he turned and faced forward once more to correct his course. He shouldn't worry. GPS would help him figure that out later…he hoped.

It was nearly an hour later that he began to regret his decisions.

Tucker was following the device at breakneck speed, hoping he would find his friends quickly. He was beginning to get hungry and bored in spite of his worry. After all, a guy has to eat. It was just as he was wondering the time that something very large and very unfriendly flew up in front of him.

If Sam and Danny ever learned about his experience, he would deny screaming non-stop while he tried to escape the massive beast. He would deny it to his dying breath, if he had to. Bad thought, he scolded himself as he finally escaped. Tucker would not allow himself to think about dying while he was basically lost and avoiding monsters. Then it hit him.

He had lost the Boo-merang.

Frantically, the teenager's dark fingers flew over the buttons on the control panel. The radar quickly lit up, showing the position of the tracking device right on the edge, and Tucker steered the Speeder as quickly as he could to follow it. Unfortunately, it wasn't quick enough. The tiny blip disappeared. He pushed the machine as fast as it could go in the direction the tiny dot had signaled, but it was gone.

No need to panic, he told himself, trying not to hyperventilate. The device might be out of range, but he was pretty sure the Fentons had set it up with GPS. If they had known it actually worked, it would have been an extremely valuable piece of equipment to them. All he had to do was…discover the Speeder couldn't find a satellite signal.

Okay, it was definitely time to panic.

No! That stupidly-named tracking device may be lost, but if it was moving, it was heading toward Danny. It had never failed to find his half-ghost friend before. Granted, they hadn't needed it very often, but still, it would do what it always did, and then his friend would come get him out of there. He hoped.

It was just as he had to follow the last positioning of the device in hopes of speeding up his rescue that he suddenly realized something. The whole time, he had been following a slightly curving path. Wherever he was, Danny was on the move. With a groan of frustration, Tucker pulled his red beret over his face. If he tried to keep going, chances were, he was going to get himself more lost. In other words, until his friends came looking for him, he was stuck.

Well…Not completely stuck. He could fly around in circles and hope that it increased his chances of being found. But, a second thought had him deciding that would be a bad idea. He did suddenly find himself with another option though.

He could scream in terror once more as he fled from another monster. That seemed like a very good idea. So, he did.

Hours passed. After the second beast, Tucker had pretty much been left alone. He'd finally had a chance to assess his surroundings…not that there was much to look at. Ocean stretched as far as he could see without even a rock poking up to break the slight curve of the horizon. He'd turned the Specter Speeder every which way to get a clear view. Nothing.

With much hesitation, Tucker steered the vessel to settle onto the water. There was no telling how long he would be stuck before he was found, and he didn't want the machine to run out of power. He wasn't entirely sure how it was fueled, but if they had to leave it behind for some reason… Well… He didn't want it to be _his_ fault if his best friend was grounded. Again.

On the plus side, not having to steer anymore meant he had a chance to snoop, which meant he was able to find the snacks Danny had stashed in his backpack. He wasn't about to try Sam's. Chances were he'd only find vegetables or other such disgusting nonsense. Plus, she would kill him for it. He had no intention of getting murdered in the middle of a nameless ocean. It would be such a waste of good looks…

So, he was munching away at one of Danny's candy bars and playing a game on his PDA when there was a sudden thunk at the top of the metal vessel. A yelp escaped him as he nearly dropped his device in fright. The chocolate was not so fortunate and hit the floor. The teenager's heart beat wildly as he looked upward, as though to see through the roof.

"Tucker?" called an unfamiliar voice from above him. The boy's jaw dropped and he quickly dove beneath the seats. Impossible! He hadn't seen or heard anything coming! How was there suddenly a _person_ on top of the Speeder?!

"Hello? Are you in there?"

"Who's asking?" Tucker demanded, hoping he came across far more confident than he felt.

"Dad! It's him!" the voice called, though clearly not to him.

"Of course we found him," replied another, far deeper voice, "Skullcrusher can track anything!" It sounded further off, which was impossible…unless it was a ghost. The name made sense for one. As quietly as he could, he dug back into Danny's backpack for a thermos. If he was having to do this on his own, he was going to put up as much of a fight as he could.

But why didn't the Speeder's alarms go off? He frowned at the thought.

"Tucker, we're friends," the first voice said again, "Sam sent us." Tucker's frown deepened as his fingers tightened around the thermos. Why would _Sam_ be sending them? The Boo-merang was supposed to find _Danny_. Something wasn't right.

"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked loudly, his tone dripping with suspicion.

"You're lost in the middle of the sea and we haven't sunk your…boat," the deeper voice grumbled, "Hiccup, are you sure leaving that girl and her dragon behind was a good idea?"

"Dad, for the last time, he was exhausted. He wouldn't have made it this far out."

"He didn't look that tired to me…" the deeper voice muttered. The first one sighed in what sounded like exasperation.

"Okay. Let's go with this," the now frustrated voice began again, "Sam is safe back at our _Viking_ village, probably eating our vegetables. Danny is with her, but has a little bit of a problem that you'll have to ask _her_ about."

Tucker blinked in confusion. Clearly, this guy was trying to hint at something, what with how he was oddly stressing words. Vikings…That could mean any number of things. Sports…History enthusiasts…Cookware… None of which sounded like something Sam would be into. Chances were, there would be carnivores everywhere. His turquois eyes widened. The vegetables! It was definitely her! Why else would a likely meat-eater point out that someone was eating _vegetables_?

"Vikings?" Tucker asked hesitantly after a moment.

"Yeah. Vikings. _Real_ Vikings."

"Hiccup…" growled the deep voice, sounding mildly confused.

Real Vikings… Tucker's eyes widened even further, his brows creeping up toward his beret. Time travel. They had time traveled _again_! With a groan, he slumped further and, being beneath his seat, his forehead met the floor. It explained why he couldn't get a signal from any satellites.

"Okay," Tucker called to the voices as he crept out from his hiding spot. As he straightened and peered out through the domed glass of the wind-shield, he froze before he could say another word. Outside was the face of a young man peering in upside-down…alongside the wide face of a black dragon. Beyond them was a very large beast of a man wearing wide horns riding a monster. If he hadn't been so shocked at the sight that met his eyes, he might have laughed at the shock on the men's faces as they stared back at him.

* * *

The following conversation had been…awkward. That was the most accurate way Hiccup had thought to describe it. The young man had been forced to put his brain to work making up excuses and explanations. Eventually, reminding Stoick about Johann's travels among the Moors had, more or less, tamed the man's suspicions. It had taken nearly as much creative word-smithing to be certain Tucker kept his vessel behaving like a boat—an incredibly fast boat that made a bizarre whistling noise, but still a boat. On the water.

After seeing its speed, Stoick wanted one. It led to another strange conversation. Tucker had actually started to attempt an explanation that used unfamiliar terms, but a few blank looks from the Vikings, and he quickly started claiming it required magic.

Magic. Such a convenient cover-up. No wonder Sam had used it so many times.

They finally spotted the island just as the pre-dawn light began to snuff out the stars, and Hiccup couldn't help but sigh in relief. Apparently, Toothless was as eager for a nap as he was, and the man had to reign him in to keep their easy pace. It wasn't much longer before Hiccup insisted that his father go on ahead while he led their new companion to a less conspicuous harbor. After all, Hiccup had reasoned, the fishermen were likely already on the water. There was no reason they should show off a _fantastic_ boat they couldn't _possibly_ reproduce. Besides, the village needed their Chief, and that Chief would _need_ a quick nap before they came knocking at his door.

Stoick had reluctantly agreed and Hiccup steered Toothless toward the other end of the island. With his father no longer scrutinizing the strange vessel that was _clearly_ not really a boat, he no longer felt the need to hold Toothless back. The dragon eagerly picked up speed, already seeming to anticipate their true destination. As Hiccup had expected, Tucker's craft had little trouble keeping up.

Surprisingly, though, when they reached the small harbor, Tucker didn't stop at a safe depth. Hiccup landed Toothless on the sandy shore and watched on in confused horror as the boy's vessel continued into ever shallower water, barely slowing before suddenly running aground.

"Ohhhh…I hope that didn't scratch…" Tucker muttered as he opened some sort of hatch and leapt out. Hiccup could only stare as the boy leaned to check the underside of the decidedly odd craft. He turned to look at Toothless, who clearly did not care for the metal vessel. The creature was prancing in place and staring off into the forest.

"Go on, bud. We'll catch up," said Hiccup, "but let him sleep!" He hoped the dragon listened as he quickly scurried into the undergrowth and out of sight. With a fond shake of his head, he turned back to the boy who was still inspecting the metal hull. There was just one thing…

"It's…floating…" Hiccup observed in shock. He thought he'd finished being shocked by the things connected to Sam and Danny, but no. There was a floating boat-thing right in front of him, and he was struggling to process it.

"Oh..um…Magic?" Tucker offered with a nervous grin as he straightened up to look at the man.

"Yeah, no," said Hiccup, resting his face in his hands. He took a deep, calming breath and leveled his gaze at the strange teen once again.

"Okay," the Viking began, "I know you're from the future. A _long_ way in the future. Sam and Danny explained what they could."

"Oh," Tucker replied with a blink, "so, then…Danny is—"

"Yeah, about that…" Hiccup cut him off, distractedly running a hand through his hair, "he's sort of…well…He's fine, but I think it would be best if you saw for yourself. And…uhhh…try not to stand too close to Sam." He dropped his hand back to his side and forced himself to smile, but it felt very much like a grimace. With the way Tucker's eyebrows drew together, he could tell his expression had been less than comforting. With a sigh, he turned toward the trees.

"This way," the Viking instructed blandly, gesturing for the boy to follow him. The teen, however, seemed to have a different idea.

"Actually…" drawled Tucker, a smirk creeping across his exotic features, "why don't I give you a lift?"

* * *

 **A/N:** Sooooo…. Yeah… I know it took a while, and I'm sorry about that. Yes, everything is still crazy busy. Plus, I caught the latest bug going around the office. _Again_. I'm mostly better, but I still have a stupid cough. The next couple of chapters are probably going to be a little slow, too, just so you all have a heads-up. Darned real-world and its attention-needingness…

Anyway, I just realized there was a question I was going to answer with the last chapter that I forgot to. I had someone ask if I had the whole story planned out or if I was making it up as I go. The answer is…yes? Basically, it's a combination of both. I have an overall goal and numerous plot points I want to hit and scenes that I want to include. However, I do occasionally have to adjust those things. I've had to throw out a couple of plot points and give up on some scenes (as you all know), but some scenes pretty much write themselves without me planning them at all. So, yeah. I have a plan, but I keep it fluid for the sake of keeping my story true to the characters. After all, to me, characters come first. They're the whole reason I started the story.

Now… I know this chapter is a little on the short side, and a little quicker pace than usual, but I really wanted to get Tucker in there. Anyway…if I messed something up, please send me a PM to let me know so I can edit and get it right, because you lovely readers deserve the best I can give you.

Also, thanks so much for all the encouragement, you guys! To you long-time followers and new readers, you guys are the best! And, as always, thanks for reading!

 **Edit:** Added my line breaks. Can't believe I forgot those... -_-


	32. Chapter 32

The machine was, in a word, _unbelievable._ If Hiccup hadn't been used to Toothless' random sprinting, he likely would have found it terrifying. As it was, the width of it made it feel like they were constantly at risk of running into the trees Tucker steered it around. The chair he was seated in would have been fairly comfortable, if not for the strange straps that the boy had pulled across him.

The whole experience of just being _inside_ the craft was overwhelming. Nearly every surface was covered in strange metals and other materials that were impossible to identify. The panel in front of them was covered in strange bumps, sticks, and so many inexplicable lights, he would have almost believed them to be stars. And then there was the glass, and the impossibly cold breeze coming from small slots… Trying to take everything in was horribly distracting, which made focusing on navigation far more difficult than it should have been.

At least, it was, until a strange, flat web of lights appeared out of nowhere.

Tucker let out a happy whoop and pointed at a rapidly pulsating spot on the web. Apparently, that dot was supposed to take him to Danny—if the Viking correctly understood the string of explanatory gibberish the teen spouted. In any case, the strange boy sped up the craft, his course far more confident. And, suddenly, they were near the grotto.

"WAIT!" Hiccup yelled with his realization. The machine stopped abruptly, and the straps that bound him to the chair dug into him painfully as they forcefully stopped his momentum. With a wince, he rubbed at his collar bone. He was sure it would bruise…not that a Viking would ever admit to something minor like that. Hiccup, however, was no common Viking.

"Ow…" he muttered quietly.

"What?" Tucker was looking at him expectantly.

How was the boy not bruis—oh. Right. Future technology, future teenager. The kid was probably used to it. Hiccup shook his head and took a breath.

"We should go by foot from here," Hiccup explained, "we kind of found out the hard way that dragons don't like things flying in ways that don't make sense."

"Oh," replied Tucker, who then blinked in thought. "Ohhhhhh! _That_ explains it!" His right hand curled into a fist and bopped onto the palm of the left as some understanding occurred to him.

"Explains what?"

* * *

As it turned out, Tucker _hadn't_ been attacked by monsters. They were actually _dragons_ …which happened to _look_ like monsters that were very disturbed by the flying Speeder. After he told Hiccup about the encounters, the man gave him a very spirited, though brief, explanation about the area's giant reptiles. It kind of left him wondering about how the Vikings defined dragons, but whatever. Their time, their rules. He just had to go along with it until he got them all back home.

Some little part of him couldn't help but feeling smug over the fact that _this_ time, he would be the hero. The rest of him was rather wishing that the people he was rescuing were models instead, though, preferably from his own time where he could ask them out. It would have been even better if he weren't having to hike.

At least it wouldn't be a long hike, he thought as he tugged his backpack higher up his shoulders.

Tucker was relieved when the strangely nicknamed man pointed out the ridge where the ground and forest suddenly dropped away. He was about to continue toward it, but an arm shot out to block him.

"Remember to keep it down," Hiccup told him, his voice low and serious, "there are probably several sleeping dragons down there, plus Sam. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not wake _any_ of them."

Tucker cringed at the thought.

"Dude, you couldn't _pay_ me to wake Sam," the boy countered flatly. There was a lot he would do for money, but that was _not_ one of them. The dragons…well…if the price was right, _maybe_.

The Viking gave him a sidelong glance, but shrugged and crept slowly toward the ridge. Tucker followed closely, his hands clutching the straps of his backpack tightly. A sudden thought occurred to him.

"Say," he started hesitantly, "just how big are the teeth on these dragons?" He grinned nervously as the man turned to raise an eyebrow at him before continuing on without an answer. Tucker scrambled to follow.

"Come on, man! It's a serious questi—!" The boy froze in his tracks and clapped his hands over his mouth quickly, smothering his yelp before it could escape. His eyes nearly burst from their sockets at the sight before him. There, scattered around a small pond, lay several monstrous reptiles, most with clearly visible, very _large_ teeth. He very quickly decided there was no payment large enough for him to wake those beasts after all.

A low rumble permeated the air, and Tucker could only assume it was coming from one of those sleeping behemoths. Lazy tendrils of smoke drifted from several sets of nostrils. If it weren't for his friends, he would have turned right back around. Speaking of…

"Okay," he said nervously, "I'm sure all those killer lizards are just as friendly as kittens, but where are Danny and Sam?"

"…Kittens…" For some reason, the Viking looked horribly confused for a moment before shaking his head and blinking furiously.

"Well," Hiccup began, hesitantly running a hand through his auburn hair, "they're…over there…" The Viking gestured to pile of reptiles with a particularly large, black dragon. Toothless had clearly chosen to cuddle up to the beast, and a very spikey looking creature was half draped over it in a way that probably would have been hilarious, if they weren't giant beasts that could bite him in half.

"Okay, very funny," Tucker said flatly, "but seriously, where are they?" The teen crossed his arms impatiently. The fact that they were just standing there, chit-chatting ever so close to those mountains of teeth and claws, made him highly uncomfortable. And maybe a little terrified.

"Like I said," Hiccup insisted, his tone growing quieter as a particularly lumpy dragon flicked what probably was supposed to pass for an ear, "they're over there."

"What, behind the dragons?"

"Not exactly," Hiccup drawled uneasily, one index finger raised as though he was trying to figure out how to explain something.

Tucker frowned in nervous confusion. His eyes darted around the clearing and sweat beaded on his forehead as he saw a tail twitch here, or a wing shift there. Any moment, those creatures could wake up, grumpy and hungry for a teenaged snack. He could end up lizard chow in the blink of an eye, and he hadn't even made out with a supermodel yet!

He was just about ready to creep back to the safety of the Specter Speeder and the comforting familiarity of its high-tech gadgetry when Hiccup sighed and finally began to speak again.

"They're not behind the dragon," the Viking began slowly running his hand through his hair once again, "Danny…kind of… _is_ the dragon. The big black one."

Tucker's face blanked. He blinked for a moment before he forced a smirk onto his face.

"Nice try," he said, glad his voice didn't crack, "but that can't be Danny. He's not wearing an amulet." He uncrossed his arms and put his fists on his hips, hoping he looked victorious.

The Viking, however, simply heaved a frustrated sigh.

* * *

Danny was having a nice dream. He was back at home, arguing with his sister, avoiding his parents' inventions, and joking with Tucker. Sam was teasing them both as cheerfully as she ever did. But then, as all dreams do, it began to fade. He buried his nose further under his wing, fighting to recapture it, but it was too late. Toothless had decided to join Stormfly in being his personal blanket again, and the dragon's efforts to get comfortable had woken him up too much. With a grumble, he carefully shifted, mindful of the little bundle of warmth he realized was curled up next to him.

Sam had insisted on staying with Danny, in case Tucker suddenly showed up. She had been determined to stay awake to watch for him and the dragon had fallen asleep to the sounds of her arguing with Astrid about it. Judging by the soft snores coming from under his other wing, however, the Viking woman had won. Either that, or Sam had more or less passed out from exhaustion. Danny was sure Sam would never admit to whatever actually happened.

It was just as he was finally starting to doze off again that he realized he could hear the murmurings of somewhat hushed voices. What's more, he recognized them. The sound of Hiccup's nasally tenor was somewhat expected. The surprise was that the other voice belonged to none other than Tucker.

Suddenly giddy with excitement, he began to squirm to throw the reptilian mother-hens off. Unfortunately, the motion had woken his sleeping friend as well.

"What the—? Danny! Knock it off!" cried Sam. Danny felt a tiny jab at his ribs and suspected that the girl had thrown her elbow at him. He didn't care though. Tucker was there! They were going _home_! Threats of violence and reptilian complaints filled his ears as he found his way to his feet and looked around.

The noise of his efforts and the resulting complaints had not been quiet. As he bounded across the grotto, skirting nimbly around the pond to get to where the teenager stood by Hiccup, the other dragons began to stir and complain at his exuberance. He ignored them, of course, far too eager to see his friend. The thing that made him skid to a halt, though, was the sudden, intense stench of fear and the look of terror on Tucker's face. Danny winced as he watched his friend try to scramble backward, only to trip on a rock and land on his backside.

Right…Dragon… Tucker couldn't have been around many of them yet. With a guilty grimace, Danny lowered his head and laid on his belly.

"Ssss…sso…rrhhrreeee…." he rumbled slowly.

Hiccup coughed to hide a snicker as he turned to help the teen back to his feet. Slack-jawed and bug-eyed, Tucker allowed himself to be pulled up. He hesitantly stepped forward with his eyes glued to the dragon.

"Danny? Is that really you?" said the boy in disbelief.

The creature nodded his head slowly, still grimacing.

"Woah… Wait. What happened to the amulet?"

Danny groaned in embarrassment. Tucker was never going to let him live this down. As if on cue, Sam's previously distant grumbling became a much less distant shout.

"Tucker!" she yelled excitedly. Danny craned his neck around to see her running forward and found himself wondering inwardly when she had changed back to her old clothes. Just out of sight he heard Tucker release a startled yelp. A quick turn of his head told him everything he needed to know. Hiccup was holding on to the back of the geek's shirt, easily preventing him from running to meet the girl.

"Did you not hear what I told you just a _minute_ ago?" hissed Hiccup. Danny frowned in confusion and annoyance as the two turned their eyes on him. Tucker laughed sheepishly as the Viking let him go and straightened his shirt.

"Danny, how are your wings feeling?" the Viking asked suddenly. The dragon raised an eyebrow, his confusion growing. The question was out of nowhere, without any sort of lead-in.

"Your wings," Hiccup restated, clearly misunderstanding the confusion, "are they feeling alright?" The man flapped his hands awkwardly at his sides, as if the question needed an illustration. With a roll of his eyes, Danny stretched his appendages to check. They were a little sore, but not as bad as they could have been. With a shrug, he nodded, and turned to see Sam's frantic run slow to a steady jog as she drew closer.

"You know," the man continued, sounding a little rushed, "with the others waking up, you should probably have them show you where to get something to eat, before they try to feed you again." His tone had Danny narrowing his eyes in suspicion…until he realized Hiccup's point. The dragon's eyes blew wide open. No. He'd had enough of that. _More_ than enough. It was an underhanded tactic to get him to leave, and Hiccup had to have known it. It wasn't very subtle, but Danny knew he didn't have much choice about it, either.

Such a dirty trick…

With a quick glance of warning at the Viking, Danny turned tail to join the other reptiles. Manipulation or not, he would feed himself, darn it! He might have been stuck eating nothing but raw fish, but that didn't mean he had to keep eating things that had been pre-swallowed. So, while Toothless grumbled and curled up to go back to sleep, the pack took to the air, and Danny followed clumsily after.

* * *

"Tucker!" Sam called again, stopping just short of flinging herself to hug her friend.

"Took you long enough," she snarked, though a wide smile spread across her whole face. The girl had never been happier to see the techno-geek in her life.

"I got a little delayed," he said with a shrug and a smirk, "but I made it."

A _little_ delayed? Sam's grin quickly fled to be replaced by a flat, distinctly unimpressed look. Tucker's smug expression quickly changed to one of confusion as the girl rolled her eyes and turned her attention to the Viking.

"So... What was that?" asked Sam, her thumb pointing toward where Danny had scurried off.

"Danny's going to try to get himself breakfast," Hiccup replied lightly, "I figured now that he's healed up, he'd rather not have any more help." The girl shuddered at the memory of his previous meals and nearly gagged. The first time was traumatizing. She was sure the other times had cemented it in her brain and scarred her for life.

"Wait, wait, wait," Tucker broke in, raising his hands as though to physically stop the conversation, "healed up? Did something happen?" Concern was written all over his features as his look bounced expectantly between Sam and the Viking.

"Yeah," Hiccup replied, "he got into a fight a couple of days after they got here. His wing was torn, and—"

"A couple of _days_?!" Tucker cried as concern turned to outright shock, "Sam, how long have you guys _been_ here?!"

"I don't know," she said with a scowl, "two…three weeks, maybe? I kind of lost track while you waited to come looking for us."

"That can't be right," Tucker muttered, his arms crossed in thought, "after the explosion, I jumped in the Speeder and followed you guys as fast as I could."

One eyebrow crept up Sam's forehead as doubt worked its way into her scowl.

"I'm serious!" the teenager continued defensively, "you know how unpredictable those things can be, and it didn't even flicker! I came through sometime last night, and I thought I was maybe a few _hours_ behind you, not a few _weeks_!"

"And a few leagues away," Hiccup chimed in, unhelpfully, "you and Danny crash landed on an island. As far as I can tell, your friend came through somewhere over open water."

" _C_ _rashed_?!" Tucker's jaw dropped in horror and Sam very quickly found her palm meeting her face.

"I guess this means it's story time," the girl declared drily.

* * *

The dragons were more efficient at catching fish than Danny had expected. He, however, was not. They had done their best to teach him, and gotten a lot of entertainment whenever he dropped his catch, but he just wasn't getting enough to eat. It wasn't his fault that the fish really didn't want to be his breakfast. And when they put up a bigger fight than he expected, he couldn't help dropping them in surprise. It was one thing wrestling a fish into a boat when he could use his arms. Trying to flip one around with his jaws so he could eat it was another matter entirely.

After a while, the reptiles finally took pity on him. They had one last laugh at his trouble before they rumbled something about easy food and led him back to the island.

At first, he had expected that maybe there was an easier fishing spot closer to land. Or perhaps some place where they might sneak a little dried meat or something. He was wrong.

They led him straight to the village harbor. The very _busy_ village harbor. With crowds of both humans and dragons milling about. Burly Viking fishermen hauled massive baskets in from their boats, filled to brimming with freshly caught fish. Other villagers called back and forth, while children chased around the legs of the adults, often trailing after some tiny dragon or another. Meanwhile, the larger reptiles lazed about or meandered in cheerful imitation of some of the people.

It was more than a little overwhelming. Danny could feel his ears pulling back and forced his wings to clamp down against his sides. Causing a scene there would definitely be disastrous.

Meatlug was quick to offer noises of reassurance while Barf and Belch gladly took up clearing a path, acting as though they owned the harbor. Several teasing sounds spouted from dragons nearby, but it meant that they were keeping the attention off Danny. He wasn't entirely sure if that was their intention, but he was grateful nonetheless.

With Hookfang and Stormfly acting like they belonged there, and Meatlug doing her best to encourage him, he squared his shoulders and began to follow their lead.

 _Act natural,_ Danny told himself, _just act natural. You can do this, Fenton._ Not that he really knew how dragons acted in crowds like the one he was diving into.

As the group made their way closer to where the fishermen were gathering their haul, the creature occasionally caught a glimpse of a fish or two being thrown to a nearby dragon, and he couldn't help licking his jaws when his stomach rebelliously groaned with anticipation.

As it turned out, it wasn't that uncommon for the village to see the little pack together. With the others crowding around him, and the Zippleback drawing attention, it seemed people were quick to assume he was simply a new addition to their crew. The village dragons, however, were giving him odd glances every now and then. It occurred to him that he might not look as casual to a dragon as he thought he did. At least he hadn't tried to whistle.

When they reached where the filled baskets were gathered together, Hookfang was quick to grab a fish off the top of one before nudging the massive vessel toward Danny. He hesitated. When the dragon pushed it even closer to him and no one blinked an eye about it, he grabbed one for himself.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, his entire head was shoved into the basket as he devoured its contents ravenously. Yes, he had been brought food the night before, but it had been less than usual, and his stomach had finally decided it needed to play catch-up from the long flight. Oddly enough, he couldn't remember feeling that hungry during the trip, but now he was _starving_ , and he couldn't fill his belly fast enough.

"Well, you're a new beastie."

The heavily accented comment froze him in place, a particularly fat fish still clamped in his jaws. It sounded a lot closer than he was comfortable with.

Ever so slowly, Danny pulled his head out of the basket. His eyes first landed on a peg leg and a rough, leather boot. They traveled upward, over a hulking figure with a hook in place of his left hand, and on to a grizzled face. The man's jaw jutted outward beneath a massive, blond moustache, a stone in place of one missing tooth. His bushy unibrow furrowed inward over beady blue eyes as his good hand scratched at his bald scalp.

In shock, Danny's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets and his face went slack. The fish he'd been about to eat fell to the ground with a wet smack.

The man before him was nearly as large and fierce-looking as Hiccup's father had been. But he'd had the young Viking and Sam with him to explain things the night before. All he had right then was a bunch of reptiles who didn't seem to think there was a problem.

"I've never seen anythin' like you before," the man continued, his rough features curling into a smile as he reached his hand out. It wasn't like Hiccup's hand thing at all—it wasn't slow and mesmerizing in the least. This guy was trying to pat his head, like a little kid—no…worse, a _pet_! With a scowl, he pulled himself back. The bald Viking raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Not the friendly type?"

Danny rolled his eyes and returned his annoyed gaze to the man. The other side of the Viking's unibrow raised in surprise.

Crud.

With a cough, he cast his sights around. The fish. He was eating—but that one was on the ground now, and too close to the man. Anxiously trying to hide his slip and act like a dragon, he shoved his head back in the basket and pretended to go back to eating.

"I think you forgot this," the man said, his voice almost sing-song. Danny froze. Ever so slowly, he peeked out over the woven rim. The man smiled deviously, his peg leg nudging the dropped fish. Meatlug wiggled eagerly and stepped forward to claim it.

"No," the man said teasingly, his hand blocking her progress, "I believe this one belongs to your friend."

It was a trap. Danny knew it. And, judging by the look on the Viking's face, he'd figured out that the dragon before him knew it. The grin that crossed the man's face was almost victorious. In Danny's experience, looks like that never meant anything good. He didn't know this person. He didn't know what his motives were. Worse, he was taking too long to react.

Somehow, though, luck was on his side—as much as it ever was, anyway. Danny hadn't been paying as much attention to his tail as he should have been during the exchange. He'd been trying to keep it curled close, but his worry had caused him to let the appendage unwind. The fishermen took great care to be mindful of the dragons that meandered nearby looking for an easy bite to eat. The children, however, had a bit more trouble with that. The dragon was swiftly reminded of his tail's position when a rather hefty five-year-old stumbled right over it.

His yelp of pain and surprise quickly ended the stalemate as he pulled the appendage out from under the fallen child's feet. The dazed little boy blinked at the dragon for a moment before horrified understanding caused him to squeak and run off, probably to his parents. Granted, the glare Danny suddenly realized was all over his face might have had something to do with it. He didn't normally glare at children, but then, he didn't normally have children land on extensions of his tailbone. It had _hurt_. And he was officially done with the breakfast outing.

With a huff, he turned, leaving the half empty basket and the worried sounds of his pack-mates behind as he trotted away to take to the air.

* * *

Gobber was left reeling. That dragon had behaved so oddly. It had to have been trained, and for much longer than any of the beasts that he'd ever seen. He was sure he'd just figured out something—he didn't know what, exactly, but it was definitely something—when one of the village tots ran over the creature's tail.

He had taken a quick step back in surprise, and in a flurry, the dragon had taken off, Meatlug had stolen the fish, and the small pack had flown after him to catch up. The man scowled in confusion. None of that was normal. Well, except for the gronkle snagging the fish. He should have expected that. But a group of dragons getting so worked up over a new companion getting a pinched tail? It was definitely odd.

Heaving a heavy sigh, the large man shook his head. He never really had a head for such complicated riddles. He would have to talk to Stoick later. If the riders were back, Hiccup likely would have gone to talk to him. And with Johann visiting, chances were, the Chief would not be wanting to talk to anyone just yet. A certain trader, though…

Gobber perked up at the thought. That merchant was still talking when the village folk started drifting away to their homes for the evening. If Hiccup had reported that night, chances were that Johann was still there. The traveler might have just as much information as Stoick, if not more with his tendency to pick up information. He was also painfully cheerful and eager to share a story, even with little sleep. The trouble was getting a straight answer out of him.

The bald Viking grinned mischievously and straightened his stone tooth. There was more than one way to get a man to talk.

* * *

 **A/N:** You guys. You're awesome. Even though I've been away for a while, you're still reading, faving, following, and leaving reviews. I love you guys.

Short summary of what's been going on… Life blew up. It's been one thing after another for a long time. Family stuff, school semester from…heck, writer's block, work, moving, just everything. I can't make any promises on when my next chapter will be up, but I can promise you this story will not be abandoned.

Also, while I was away, I was given another fan art! Check it!

Phantom - - j. deviantart art/ DP-The-Phantom-Wing- 716609708

Remember to remove spaces so it will direct you there. If it doesn't work, let me know, and I'll try to fix it.

As always, thanks for reading. Really, I mean it. Thank you.


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